Falling Stars
by spoookytus
Summary: As an only child to a poor repair shop owner, Kurt Hummel believed he would never amount to anything great. However, after an evil witch turns him into an old man, Kurt decides to leave his childhood home and set out on a journey that thrusts him into a world of magic, adventure, and a moving castle owned by the mysterious Wizard Sebastian. (Based on Howl's Moving Castle.)
1. In Which There is a Great Deal of Magic

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, with a few special surprise ships that will be listed as they appear!

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 5,600+ for this chapter.

**Author's Notes**: I've been posting this on my LiveJournal pretty steadily for a while now, but I recently decided to go ahead and start uploading it to ! It's been a while since I've used this medium to post my stories, so it's weird to be back. In any case, I'll hopefully get the current chapters all uploaded for you to read so that I can post chapter ten here as well as on my LiveJournal this Saturday. Happy reading!

* * *

In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes. This is doubly so for those born as an only child, for only children are expected to follow in the footsteps of their parents and carry on their family names.

Kurt Hummel was born as the only child to Burt and Elizabeth Hummel in the charming town of Market Chipping in this magical land of Ingary. Although Market Chipping was nowhere near as large as the capital of Kingsbury, it was rather moderate in size, with cobbled streets and houses and shops built close to one another along the sidewalks. Burt Hummel owned a repair shop, offering his services to fix a variety of things, including carriages, wagons, various housing fixtures, plumbing, and the automotive vehicles that had made their way into Market Chipping years ago, such as cars, trucks, and electric trollies. Elizabeth worked at the most prestigious school in the city as a teacher; Kurt attended for free because of her position within the school and assisted his father in the repair shop after school and on weekends.

Although they weren't a rich family, Kurt lived a very comfortable life. He helped his mother in the kitchen baking (for the Hummels were famous around Market Chipping for their baked treats) and sewing clothes. That talent made Burt's mouth turned down, but Kurt was quite good at it; whenever he'd mend or modify his mother's dresses, it would be the talk of the ladies in her social circle for weeks to come.

About a year before this story truly begins, Elizabeth grew very ill and suffered from what appeared to be tuberculosis for three months before passing away in her sleep. Her loss hit the Hummels hard, both emotionally and financially. They could no longer afford the beautiful house they'd been paying off on the street corner of the marketplace and were forced to move out of it and into the loft above the repair shop. On top of that, they could no longer afford to send Kurt to school, which meant Burt had to take his son on as a full-time apprentice without a wage. All of the change took its toll on the little family, and it took a long time for the two men to adjust to being without Elizabeth. During those months, Kurt came to accept the fact that, as badly as he wanted to set out to seek his fortune, that wouldn't happen for him. He was doomed to remain in the repair shop for years and years to come, eventually finding a wife to settle down with.

The very thought made his lips twist in disgust, but he dared not say a word of that to his father. Men having relationships with other men were not unheard of in this world, but Kurt knew there were some people who detested the very thought. It was never a topic of conversation at their dinner table, so Kurt didn't know his father's opinion on the matter and was terrified to bring it up, which was part of the reason Kurt resigned himself to simply following in his father's footsteps in order to make him happy.

It might not have been so bad, had his two dearest friends not set off themselves.

They were brother and sister, twins: Rachel and Blaine Anderson. Kurt had known them both from school when he still attended. They'd bonded over their love of music, frequently staying late after school around the piano in the music room and just singing while Blaine accompanied them. He and Blaine had become incredibly close over the last few years; the back of Kurt's neck heated up every time he'd think about the stolen moments they'd shared, tucked away in Blaine's house or Kurt's bedroom and kissing softly while whispering words of love to one another. Kurt knew the relationship was fleeting and that some day, it would end, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon.

It wasn't unusual for the twins to pop into the repair shop unannounced. Kurt was so busy these days with working that it was hard for him to try and make the time to go and see them. Burt never said a word whenever they'd arrive, knowing how hard Kurt worked and how much his son was sacrificing to keep the repair shop going, so when they arrived at the shop about a month before May Day, Kurt dropped the greasy rag he was using to wipe off the dirty engine of a car and ran over to greet them.

"Kurt!" Rachel exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly once she was near enough. Though Kurt kept his hands lofted, not wanting to get grease on her, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed as best he could. She leaned back but kept close, her hands resting on his shoulders. Her eyes were bright, cheeks flushed, smile wide. She looked positively glowing. "Goodness, it looks as though you've been working hard!"

"I have been." Kurt smiled and looked over Rachel's shoulder at Blaine, who lifted a hand and waved it at him. Kurt just smiled in reply, though this was the kind of smile he only reserved for Blaine, and stepped back. "Let me wash my hands." He turned and hurried to the back of the shop where the enormous sink was, twisting the rusty knob with another rag before setting to work on washing. His father approached while he was getting the grease out from under his fingernails.

Burt clapped Kurt on the shoulder when he was close enough. "Take an early break, kiddo," he said. "It's slow today, anyway."

"Thanks," Kurt said over his shoulder, smiling. He dried his hands quickly and hurried over to where Rachel and Blaine were waiting, basking in the sunlight of the open garage door. It was a beautiful, sunny day; there was a slight chill whenever the breeze picked up, but overall, it wasn't too bad, though Kurt knew this meant there was going to be a long, hot summer waiting for him. The idea made him feel itchy inside his coveralls, so he quickly unbuttoned them and shucked them off, leaving him in a pair of well-fit black trousers, matching black boots, and a loose white shirt tucked into his pants.

"Shall we take a walk?" he offered, gesturing toward the sunlit day outside. Rachel nodded eagerly and bounded off with Kurt and Blaine falling into step behind her.

After they'd walked a ways down the street, Kurt finally looked up at Blaine. He couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch the inside of Blaine's wrist, the skin satiny smooth under his touch before drawing away. Blaine smiled slightly, though Kurt couldn't help but notice it looked somewhat sad. "So," Kurt started, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Rachel seemed to realize the boys were lagging and turned to watch them approach, her skirts swirling around her legs as she waited. "Hurry up, Kurt!" she called, and Kurt rolled his eyes before breaking into a jog until he was at her side. Blaine soon joined them, and together, they kept walking. Kurt realized, a little belatedly, that no one had answered his question. The further they went into town, the more he began to suspect that he was being left out of something.

It wasn't until they stopped at Cesari's Bakery for some danish pastries that Kurt brought it up again. "As glad as I am to see you both, you rarely steal me away unless you need me for something," Kurt said with a smile. He bit off a corner of his pastry, chewed, and swallowed. His words had caused Rachel to look down at her feet, her lips twisting, while Blaine sighed. Kurt's own smile faded as they took seats at the wrought iron tables just outside the shop.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm missing something important?" Kurt inquired.

Blaine looked at Rachel, who was busy chewing and still staring at the tips of her shoes. Again, he sighed, and finally looked up to meet Kurt's gaze. "Rachel and I are leaving soon," he said frankly. When Kurt just stared at him, he elaborated: "To seek our fortunes."

The words alone left a bitter taste in Kurt's mouth. Of course they were. Rachel and Blaine were well off; they could do whatever they wanted to. They weren't expected to follow along in the footsteps of their parents, to take on their family's business. They could afford it. In spite of himself, in spite of the fact he'd come to terms with living in Market Chipping and working for his father, for one long moment, Kurt hated the both of them. He wanted to throw his danish onto the table and storm away without saying a word.

But then he took a deep breath, exhaled, and remembered that would accomplish nothing aside from alienating the two people he could call his friends. Instead, he forced a smile, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "Really?" He was pleased that his voice sounded more excited than he actually felt. "That's wonderful! Where are you both off to? When? Tell me everything!"

They both seemed relieved when Kurt didn't react poorly, though he could feel himself dying a little bit on the inside. Rachel took the reins then, launching into an explanation of great length and detail about how she was off to Kingsbury, to become an apprentice to one of the most favored singers in the capital's history while Blaine was going to do a bit of traveling to try and find a suitable sorcerer apprenticeship.

"You're magical?" Kurt asked, genuinely incredulous. "I'd had no idea!"

"Yeah," Blaine said, almost sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck with a laugh. "I lit the curtains on fire just yesterday."

"That's wonderful," Kurt said, reaching across the table to squeeze Blaine's hand. Blaine squeezed back, just for a moment, before letting go. Rachel once more began to talk, about how they were leaving within the week and what wonders were waiting for them outside of Market Chipping, while Kurt took in the main square stretched out in front of him. As beautiful as it was, the sight of it made him sad, because even cages could be lovely.

* * *

That night, Kurt and Blaine drove Burt's truck to the outskirts of town and made a bed in the back. For a while, they just lay in silence, staring at the stars, before Blaine turned over and kissed Kurt softly, gently, growing more and more insistent as the moments passed. They made love there in the truck bed for the first and last time, and if Kurt cried himself to sleep every day afterwards, at least no one was there to see him.

* * *

After Rachel and Blaine departed (within the week, as promised), the rest of April was totally unremarkable. Kurt continued to busy himself in the repair shop. He received letters from both Rachel and Blaine around the same time - Rachel had arrived safely in Kingsbury (_Oh, Kurt, you'd simply turn green with envy and die if you saw some of the beautiful hats the ladies wear! You shall have to visit someday and see for yourself._), while Blaine had arrived at a coastal town Porthaven. It was lovely, he said, especially since it was warming up, so he was planning to say for a while before moving on. In the envelope, he'd included a necklace with a tiny blue conch shell on the end that Kurt wore hidden under his shirt collar.

The papers also told news of the fact the king's brother, Finley, had gone missing, and the Royal Wizard Samuel had gone off in search of him. There was talk of foul play - someone had kidnapped him, and there were rumors of Ingary going to war with one of the neighboring nations as a result of it. Kurt considered that to be over his head and tried not to dwell on it too much.

The only other interesting thing to happen in April was the arrival of a mysterious black blob among the green hills of Market Chipping. The people were calling it a moving castle, and it belonged to a great and powerful wizard named Sebastian. It never stayed in one place for very long, blowing clouds of gray and black smoke as it moved. Some days, Kurt would hear, it would be far away, just a speck in the distance; other days, it'd be so close to the city that the citizens of Market Chipping could hear the gears grinding and groaning as it moved. Rumors about Sebastian circulated like wildfire among the people in town. Sebastian was an evil wizard, the kind who charmed young women and then ate their hearts and stole their souls. The idea positively frightened Kurt, and although he was not a young woman, he took up the habit of glancing over his shoulder whenever his father would send him into the marketplace for supplies.

The weeks leading up to May were particularly busy, as cars and wagons needed repair and reinforcements for those who were planning to travel and visit family for May Day. The rest of the town was a flurry of activity as they prepared for the celebration, though Kurt remained sheltered from it all. As the days passed and he continued to think about May Day, he came to the realization that he simply didn't have the energy to partake. The idea of going into town among all those brightly-dressed people without Rachel or Blaine at his side left him feeling a bit queasy.

And to think, May Day used to be his favorite holiday. Part of Kurt also blamed his mother's death for his sudden aversion to it, for she had been a very big fan of May Day, and having to go along with the festivities now that she was gone made Kurt sad. So Kurt made the decision to go along as if May Day was no different than any other day.

It was surprisingly easy to accomplish. His father came into the kitchen early that morning while Kurt was trying to make his oatmeal taste a little less like paper and announced that he had to take the truck and go to the next town over to place an order from some parts and supplies he couldn't get there in Market Chipping. He'd be gone for the next two days, he explained, and he trusted Kurt to be able to run the shop on his own after May Day was over. In no time at all, Burt had prepared a small sack of food, checked the amount of fuel in his truck, and departed for the day.

Alone in the shop, Kurt busied himself with cleaning at first, though that barely took half the morning. Since they were closed for the holiday, Kurt headed upstairs to also clean their flat, but that only took him to about lunch time. The idea of a nap was tempting, but Kurt knew he'd just wake up irritable and have trouble getting to sleep later that night. Eventually, he decided upon sitting out behind the shop and reading in the sunshine, though that was easier said than done; he could hear the merriment and festivities from his seat. The sound of them got him thinking about his mother until the ache in his chest was too much to bear. He set aside his novel, selected his finest coat off the hook (a plain gray one), and stopped in front of the mirror to examine his reflection.

He was handsome, this he knew, but not in the conventional way. Many of his crueler classmates would call him Lady Hummel or Lady Kurt, and there was no doubt about the fact that his features were incredibly delicate and refined, from the straight slope of his nose to his defined cheekbones and the sharp line of his jaw. He wasn't terribly tall - maybe just an inch or two taller than most young men his age - and though he was toned, he wasn't fit by any means. His arms were probably the most chiseled part of his body from all the lifting and work he did. His hair? Unremarkable. His eyes? They could be pretty, but today, they just looked gray, like his jacket.

Kurt sighed. Maybe it was for the best he wasn't seeking his fortune, he decided. He didn't have the look of greatness about him, anyway.

The streets were, as he had expected, crowded and bright with the swirling dresses and trailing sleeves of the people, each outfit brighter than the last. It was all incredibly overwhelming, but Kurt powered through anyway until he made it to the center of town. The crowds were biggest and most intense there; people were gathering around restaurants, walking from shop to shop, stopping by the game vendors, and admiring the beautiful flower arrangements that had been put up all over the city. Kurt made a beeline for the flower shop and purchased the cheapest bundle of flowers they had; he was pleasantly surprised to see they were a bouquet of beautiful purple orchids.

He wasted no time in heading west, away from the crowds. He eventually made it to the big church near the end of the street. There was no one around today, so Kurt had no trouble walking around the building to the cemetery around back. It was gated off, but the latch was unlocked. The headstones closest to the church were faded with age, but he was soon far enough back that the stones were smooth and new. The name ELIZABETH HUMMEL soon came into view, and Kurt stopped beside her headstone to set the flowers down.

He hadn't planned to stay long, but he found himself taking a seat and talking to the grave as if his mother were sitting right across from him. He told her all about how desperately he wanted to seek his fortune, how he wanted something bigger and better for himself than just Market Chipping, and how he was afraid that Burt might disown him if he knew of Kurt's sexual preferences. It was the first time he'd ever admitted it out loud, that he liked men, and he found himself crying into the dirt in front of his mother's headstone at how lost and alone he felt without her to guide him.

Kurt probably could have sat there for hours longer, but a sudden rumbling filled the air. At first, he feared an earthquake, but he soon realized the ground wasn't trembling and that a second, more terrifying sound - loud, explosive; it rang in Kurt's head like a gong - had joined in. He scrambled to his feet and glanced around; his vantage point from where he was standing in the hillside cemetery allowed him to see the hills above Market Chipping and that the Wizard Sebastian's castle was exploding blue sparks and fire into the air from its turrets. Perhaps he was trying, in his own bizarre way, to join in the merriment of May Day, but the sights and sounds just served to terrify Kurt into mopping his face up with his jacket sleeve and hurrying out of the cemetery and back onto the street.

There was a shadowed alleyway just ahead; Kurt knew it would take him around the main square and the crowd, making it easier to get back to the shop. Now that he had no need to purchase anything, he didn't hesitate to step carefully down the stairs and into the alley. He hadn't made it more than one building's length away from the alley's entrance before he heard a couple of familiar voices from a doorway up ahead. At first, he couldn't make out their faces, but as he drew hesitantly closer, he could see that they were large, with short hair and ill-fitting suits - David and Azimio, two of the bullies from his school.

"Well, well, well," David said, pushing himself off of the doorframe with a smirk. "If it isn't Lady Hummel."

"When you didn't come back to school, we were hoping you'd died," Azimio added, popping each of his knuckles one-by-one, in a way that made Kurt's throat get tight and his body tense with fear. "Just like your mommy."

The words caused him to flinch. He glanced wearily to and fro; there was an entrance just ahead to the left. Or, he could turn and run back the way he came. The choice was proving more difficult to make than Kurt would have imagined. "Very funny," he said finally, his tone dry and nonplussed; he was grateful for his ability to sound unbothered even though he could feel the makings of a panic attack coming on. "I should have known you'd be lurking in the shadows like a couple of creeps on May Day of all days. Now, if you'll excuse me." He turned, thoroughly intent on heading back the way he'd come when two things happened simultaneously.

First, David called out, "And where do you think you're going?"

Second, a tall young man, older than Kurt but not by much, stepped down into the alley. He was incredibly handsome, with sharp features, freckles across his cheekbones, and brown hair that had been smoothed into a perfect coif. His eyes appeared to glint green in the dim light, almost like two jewels, his long silver suit sleeves trailing with every move he made. Kurt wasn't certain what his face looked like, but it seemed to tip this stranger off to the situation. Those jewel eyes shifted over Kurt's shoulder, to where he assumed Azimio and David were looming ominously, and back to Kurt, before his face split into a huge smile, warm and genuine.

"There are you are," the man said, and Kurt could feel his knees go weak at the sound. It was smooth and pleasant, like Kurt's favorite song had been soaked in honey. He'd never seen this stranger before in his life, but Kurt didn't feel the need to do anything other than play along. "I was wondering where you'd wandered off to. I was afraid you'd left."

"No, no," Kurt replied, twisting his fingers together. "I'm still here. Just… got held up."

"Hmmm." The man hummed and once more looked at the two bullies. "Thing One and Thing Two giving you a problem?"

Kurt frowned, his eyebrows creasing his forehead in confusion. "Um…"

"No matter," the man said, his voice just as pleasant as before. He raised a hand, each finger catching the light and glinting; Kurt wondered how many rings he was wearing. "I'm assuming they've finished whatever business they had with you?"

"Um," Kurt said again.

"Good." The main flicked his wrist, splaying his fingers out, and suddenly, David and Azimio snapped to attention. Shouting, outraged, they began to march obediently out of the alleyway through the entryway ahead to the left, the one Kurt had been contemplating bolting for. _This man is a wizard_, he thought as the two bullies marched out if sight. Kurt turned his wide-eyed gaze on the stranger, and with a jolt he came to a realization: This man was probably Wizard Sebastian.

"You're -" he started but couldn't find a way to say what he wanted to say. The words got trapped in his throat, and before he knew what he was doing, Kurt was backing up until he hit the brick wall on one side. All he could think was, _This is Wizard Sebastian_, and, _He's going to eat my heart_.

"Just helping a friend in need," Sebastian said with a grin. The pleasantness seemed to disappear from his face. Kurt could see that his jewel eyes were lacking warmth completely. He could feel his heart beating in his throat. "I caught one glimpse of your ass and knew you were someone I had to say hello to."

The comment made Kurt's eyes narrow, heat beginning to warm the back of his neck. He prayed it didn't turn into a blush. "_Excuse_ me?"

"Are you sure you don't need an escort home, princess?" Sebastian inquired with a grin. He reached out and took one of Kurt's hands in his, and as he spoke, he leaned over without breaking eye contact and kissed Kurt's knuckles.

With a disgusted noise, Kurt ripped his hand from Sebastian's grasp and glared at him with as much force as he could muster. "You're no better than they are!" he accused, pointing in the direction of the alley's entrance to indicate the direction David and Azimio had marched off.

Still looking amused, all Sebastian said was, "Ouch. Got anymore salty ones?"

Huffing, Kurt turned on his heel and stomped away, his hands curled into fists. Behind him, Sebastian laughed, bright and loud, and called out, "Nice meeting you, too!" When Kurt turned to give him one last glare before he exited the alley, he was completely surprised and amazed to see that Sebastian was gone. It took him a minute to realize that the wizard was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, practically gliding through the air, his silver suit sleeves catching the sunlight and attracting the attention of the civilians below.

"What a jerk," Kurt muttered angrily, though he wasted not a second more there in that alleyway and hurried on home.

He was relieved to see that Sebastian was nowhere to be found, glad to know that he hadn't been stalked home. It was just about dinner time when he finally made it into the flat (he spent more time in the cemetery than he'd thought), so he fixed himself a small meal of bread, cheese, tomato, and milk before settling into a chair with his novel for the remainder of the evening. The action was just beginning to pick up when he became aware of the fact that someone was pounding on the front door of the shop downstairs.

Puzzled, Kurt set aside the novel and hurried out of the flat. Much to his surprise, there was a beautiful, blonde young woman standing in the garage, glancing around. She had her hand outstretched in front of her, curled into a fist, but there were beams of orange light escaping through the gaps in her fingers and illuminating the space enough for her to see. She was gorgeous, truly, with a straight nose and bright hazel eyes, her golden hair falling down her back in perfect ringlets. She was wearing a black dress, made of a kind of material that shimmered and caught the light no matter what way she moved, so long that it touched the floor. The neckline plunged, revealing the smooth skin of her chest and throat, a matching black shrug draped over her shoulders and keeping her arms warm. A glittering silver comb was keeping her hair out of her face.

Kurt thought that if he had been interested in women, he'd be attracted to her, but he wasn't, and she was intruding. He was one-hundred percent sure he'd locked the door behind him after coming inside. "Excuse me," he snapped, coming the rest of the way down the stairs. The woman turned to look at him, a smile curling the corners of her red-stained mouth. "What are you doing in here? How did you get in? I locked that door."

"Oh, that?" she asked sweetly, turning to glance at the open door behind her. There was a peculiar man standing in the doorway, with dirty blonde hair, big lips, a round face, big brown eyes, and a small nose. It was like his body couldn't decide if it was tall or not; his legs were short, but his torso was long and flabby, his arms hanging awkwardly at his sides. The moment Kurt noticed him, his eyes widened even more, eyebrows lifting, like he was trying to tell Kurt something, but the woman was speaking again, so Kurt looked back at her instead. "That was simple, really. It won't keep anyone out if they really want to get in."

The thought sent a shiver through Kurt, so he quickly crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "Well, now that you're in here, is there something you want?"

"Not really," the woman said, and Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She started to walk aimlessly around the empty space, her glowing hand still held out in front of her and casting eerie shadows over the walls. "I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about." She paused and finally looked at Kurt again, her eyes traveling over him slowly before she met his gaze again. "Frankly, I was expecting a little… more."

If she had intended to hurt his feelings, she'd succeeded. Kurt tightened his arms over his chest and tried to keep his expression from revealing just how much what she'd said had affected him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means Sebastian's standards have certainly gone down," the woman said plainly. "Still, he likes you for some reason or another -"

Kurt interrupted her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the weird man gesturing for Kurt to shut up, but he ignored him. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "I don't know Sebastian. You're beginning to make me angry, and as far as I can tell? There's nothing for you here, so if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you took your weird little henchman and got the hell out of my shop, thanks."

The woman's eyes grew bright again, her eyebrows lifting. "So that's why he likes you," she mused quietly, almost to herself. Then those hazel eyes flashed, jewel-like, just like Sebastian's had been, and she suddenly flung her hand out in Kurt's direction. His entire body tightened at that, his vision getting a little bit blurry, though when he blinked a few times, she came into focus once again. "Fortunately for us, Sebastian is vain, so he won't think twice about you now. Toodles." Wiggling her fingers at him, the woman squashed the light in her hand and headed out with the man; he was staring at Kurt with wide eyes, a horrified look on his face.

The door thudded closed, and Kurt took a deep breath, then exhaled. He checked the door and was satisfied to find that the stupid woman had enough sense to at least lock it behind her. He was moving slowly - careful, shuffling steps - but he hoped that whatever she'd done to him wore off soon.

There was no panic, which was odd. Kurt knew she was a witch and was fairly certain he was under a spell of some kind, but it didn't worry him. He just hobbled up the steps, one by one, until he was back in the flat. He felt cold, oddly, like the chilly air was seeping right through his layers. He decided reading in his bed would be best, so he collected the novel off the end table and stopped short when he saw his hands.

Lifting them, Kurt examined how wrinkled they were, how they were bony and gnarled with age. Liver spots dotted his skin, and although they didn't hurt, they were stiff. Still, the panic didn't come even as he began to realize what exactly was happening. He turned and shuffled into his bedroom, switching the lamp on and stopping in front of his mirror. Sure enough, he was unsurprised to find his own reflection was staring back at him, though it looked as though he had been aged ninety years. His face was soft and wrinkled; most of the hair on his head was gone, except for the thin dusting of white along the sides. He was hunched, and when Kurt tried to straighten, his spine popped and cracked painfully.

He couldn't help but moan quietly at how it hurt, eventually deciding that remaining hunched was better than trying to regain his good posture. Turning, Kurt stood by his bed and stared down at the bedspread, trying to think of what to do next. Obviously, he couldn't stay. The thought of allowing his father to see him like this was what made the panic start to creep up, so Kurt just decided to go. He'd spoken so much about seeking his fortune; why shouldn't he go ahead and do it now? He had nothing to lose at his age, after all.

It was dark now, though; all the wagons out of Market Chipping would be gone, and besides, the festivities were still ongoing. He would leave early in the morning, he decided. Nodding to himself, Kurt hobbled over to his wardrobe and selected a few articles of clothing that would offer him a decent amount of warmth and protection from the elements on his journey. Perhaps he'd travel for a while like Blaine; he'd always wanted to see the ocean, and perhaps the sea air would be good for his joints. It meant having to go through the hills, which meant he might end up running into Wizard Sebastian again. The thought didn't terrify him anymore; if anything, it made him wish for it to happen, just so he could give Sebastian a piece of his mind about all this. Apparently, being old made Kurt brave.

With his clothes laid out and a plan in his head, Kurt switched off the lamp and eased into bed. It took him a few moments to find a comfortable position, and even then, it was a good hour or so before his stiff and aching joints popped and decompressed for sleep. When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of falling stars.


	2. In Which Kurt Enters Into a Bargain

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, with a few special surprise ships that will be listed as they appear!

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 5,300+ for this chapter.

**Author's Notes**: I'm hoping to get a couple of chapters up tonight. As I said before, this is all already on my LiveJournal, so I'm trying to get these chapters up before I post the last chapter before my hiatus on Saturday. Thank you for your support so far, and enjoy the story!

* * *

When Kurt woke up, he was still stiff and sore, but it wasn't as painful as it had been the evening before. The panic still hadn't hit him yet; honestly, part of him still believed all of this was just dream. With a bit of effort, Kurt hauled himself out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom to wash up and clean his teeth. He then changed into the clothes he laid out the night before, packed some bread, cheese, and water up, put on his coat and hat, and stepped out into the sun. Before leaving, he contemplated writing a note for his father before deciding that it would be better just to go without saying anything. He didn't want his father to go looking for him and run the risk of discovering Kurt in his old age. Sure, it would likely break his father's heart, but Kurt believed it to be the best option he had.

There were a few carriages and trucks waiting at the edge of town, almost packed and ready to go up into the hills. Kurt was already stiff and breathless by the time he'd made it there, sweating in his tweed jacket. One of the nearby farmhands seemed to notice him, for he came around the side of the truck. "Hey, grandpa!" he called, and it took Kurt a moment to remember he was talking to him. "Where're you off to t'day?"

"To seek my fortune," Kurt replied in a crackling, tired old voice. He was surprised at how old he sounded. He didn't have much time to dwell, for his answer was apparently funny and got a good laugh out of the men standing nearby. Instead of saying anything about that, he went on, "I'm hoping to get up into the hills and to Upper Folding within the next few days."

"We're headin' in the direction of Upper Folding," another man said, leaning beside the first. "But we won't be goin' the whole way. We'd be willin' to take you as far as we're goin', though."

"That's all right," Kurt said agreeably. "As far as you could take me would be a great help."

The first man nodded. "All righty, then. C'mon over here, and I'll help ya up onto the truck."

It only took a few moments for the man to easily lift Kurt clean off his feet and onto the back of the truck. His knobby little legs dangled over the sides, his well worn saddle shoes looking a little dusty already. Kurt folded his little sack of food into his lap, drew his coat around his shoulders a little tighter, and waited patiently until the men finished loading up their creates of supplies. The engine roared to life, grumbling and spitting dirty black smoke as it began to bounce along the dirt road. Kurt rattled around so much on the back that he could feel his teeth yammering in his head.

"Goodness," he muttered to himself. "If they're not careful, I'll bounce clean off."

The road did not get much better for the remainder of the journey. The truck kicked up dirt and rode over potholes like the men driving were paid to do it. Kurt felt achier than ever by the time they stopped and he was helped down. He thanked the men for the ride and began hobbling up the hill ahead. The more he walked, the easier it became, though he decided it'd certainly be much more bearable if he had a walking stick to help him along his journey.

"I shall have to find a branch or something along the road," he decided aloud.

Though the sun was high in the sky, the wind was blowing right through his clothing. "Being old has made things colder!" he declared as he walked, shivering a bit as he looked up the hill. The climb looked steep and insurmountable, so he decided that maybe now was as good a time as any to settle down and have some food. He shuffled to a collection of rocks off of the road and took a seat, unfolding his wrapping of food and beginning to eat his bread and cheese. Down below, he could see Market Chipping. "I've hardly made any progress at all," he muttered gloomily and sighed. Looking down at the town was making him a bit depressed, so he stuffed the last bit of bread in his mouth and got off the rock.

"You're not in too much pain," Kurt noted as he flexed his fingers and began to wrap up the remainder of his food. "Just a bit stiff and sore. You can move about all right. Perhaps being old is much better suited for you after all."

A bush nearby caught his attention, for it was rustling and moving as if someone was waiting inside to pop up and give him a fright. Hobbling over, Kurt called, "Hello?" and was surprised to see a stick protruding out of the bushes. "That's a perfect walking stick!" He hurried over to the bush and reached for the pole just as a horrible snarling came from the bush. Kurt, unafraid, leaned over and saw a poor dog, a ratty gray thing, trapped among some rope that was tethered to the pole. Humming, Kurt began to saw away at the ropes with the knife he had in his lunch for the bread. All the while, the dog growled at him, its teeth bared.

"Don't be rude," Kurt chided as he kept sawing. "I'm only trying to help." His muscles were beginning to ache with how much effort it was taking. Eventually, the rope snapped free, coming loose enough for the dog to jump out of the bushes and into the grass. It growled at Kurt, backing away slowly, like it was still contemplating an attack, before it turned and ran up the hill, out of sight. Kurt rolled his eyes and instead turned to yank the stick from out of the bushes. Much to his surprise, it was an actual walking stick with an actual metal head in the shape of a bird's beak.

"How convenient. You're just what I've been looking for," he murmured to the stick and set to walking again.

For a long time, it was just Kurt and the sound of his breathing as he hiked up the hill. The pain soon manifested and grew worse and worse as he walked. He wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time he turned around to look back down at Market Chipping, but it still looked as though he hadn't walked more than a few feet. He was starting to wonder how appealing he'd be to the wolves and other predators lurking around the hills when the ground began to rumble under his feet. For a moment, he was perplexed before the hulking mass of the moving castle crested over the hill. It looked even less like a castle in person; it was enormous, certainly, and the three turrets billowing smoke high above the ground looked like towers, but for the most part, the castle looked like it'd been put together at the last minute. The ugly black bricks of all shapes and sizes were held together by god knows what, with various metal contraptions added on like an afterthought. The legs were enormous and metal as well, walking confidently and quickly even though the castle looked as though it may fall apart at any moment. As it drew nearer, Kurt could see a doorstep hovering just a few feet off of the ground.

"Hey!" he called, raising his arms and waving. "Stop!"

Much to his surprise, the castle did as it was asked and sunk to the ground so the door was more easily reached.

He didn't even think about it. He hurried to the door and reached for it, but was met with an invisible barrier. Even when he called out for it to open up, it did no good. Huffing, Kurt turned and began to walk along the side of the castle, rounding the corner until he could see another door. This, too, had a barrier over it. Raising his stick and shaking his fist, Kurt called up to the castle, "What good are you if your doors refuse to open?" Again, he got no response, though one of the turrets began to blow smoke rings. The turret was the furthest away from Kurt, so he took that as a sign and kept walking along the castle until he rounded yet another corner and came upon another door. This one was below the turret blowing smoke rings, so Kurt cautiously approached and tried the handle. Much to his pleasure, he was able to grasp it _and_ twist it open.

Inside were a set of stairs leading down to the door. It looked to be a bit dim inside, with only the orange glow of what Kurt assumed to be a fire illuminating the interior. He had not a thought for much else besides that fire, which was how he found himself quickly hobbling up the stairs, dropping his cane, and collapsing into a simple wooden chair beside the hearth. His entire body creaked and popped as he settled into the chair, the exhaustion of the day's walk suddenly catching up to him.

"Um," a somewhat gruff, though feminine, voice said from behind him, "What the hell?"

"He was standing in the way of the castle," a male voice said from the direction of the hearth. All Kurt could see through bleary eyes were the flames licking up the logs settled in the grate. "I figured letting him was more humane than crushing him."

"And what the hell do you know about humanity?" the feminine voice retorted. Her footsteps creaked the floorboards, and Kurt heard her pick up his cane off the floor and hook it over the back of his chair. "Seriously, though, grandpa. Who are you?"

Kurt looked up then and got a good look at the young lady leaning over him. She was young, very young - younger than he was before he'd been turned into an old man. She was wearing a plain blue dress with short sleeves and a tight bodice, falling only to the knee so it showed off her feminine figure. Her hair, long and black, was currently scooped away from her face and held in a messy twist by a pencil, her eyes big and brown. She was incredibly beautiful, with soft pink lips and dark skin. Kurt wanted to tell her that he wasn't just an old man, but the words just wouldn't come out. They got stuck in his throat and sat there, so instead of answering her question or acknowledging her comment, Kurt wheezed, "I hope you don't have the nerve to turn out an old man, young lady."

She snorted, then straightened up and adjusted the white apron around her waist. "I wasn't gonna," she said simply, "but if you're gonna sit here, I want a name so I know who to point fingers at when the boss gets back."

"My name is Kurt," he stated, relaxing once more in his chair when he realized the girl wasn't going to turn him back out into the fields. As an afterthought, he added, "You may want to tell the wizard that his castle is going to fall apart at any moment."

"Sure, _papi_, sure," she said, and Kurt would have sworn she sounded somewhat affectionate. "I'll tell him as soon as he gets back."

It suddenly occurred to Kurt that Sebastian might be able to help him with his spell. The thought made Kurt twist in his seat, suddenly more alert than he thought possible after all his walking, to look at the young woman. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

The girl shrugged. "Not sure. Probably tomorrow. If he's gone for longer, he usually says something." She looked up; whatever she saw on Kurt's face made her frown. "Can I help you? I'm Santana, Sebastian's apprentice."

"Do you mind if I just wait for him to return?" Kurt inquired, trying to sound as feeble as possible so that she didn't turn him out.

Once more, she shrugged. "Whatever." She then stepped away from the hearth and Kurt's chair to go back to the table at the back of the room. Kurt sighed, relieved, and sank into the chair, watching the fire until he began to doze.

* * *

When he woke this time, he was all aches and pains. Falling asleep in that old wooden chair had done nothing for his old physique, and Kurt found himself groaning in pain as he sat up. He was also acutely aware of the fact that he was hungry again, though that took a back seat to the fact his entire body felt like it was throbbing. "Oh goodness," he muttered as he tried to situate himself into a more comfortable position, but all it seemed to do was make him more hunched.

"Maybe some warmth…" Kurt hefted himself out of the chair and fumbled for his cane, using it to hobble himself over to the stack of firewood beside the hearth. He clicked his tongue at how much ash had gathered but decided there was nothing he could do about that for the time being. He instead laid the logs down over the embers of the fire, hoping that it'd come up on its own. He really didn't want to have to go looking for something to stoke it. Much to his relief, the fire began to burn, a little green and blue around the bottom, but it was nice and hot and made Kurt feel better almost at once.

"Much better," he said to himself, and turned to try and locate where his food sack had gone. It was sitting on the table Santana had been settled at earlier, so Kurt hobbled on over and plucked it off before returning to his chair. The fire was burning in earnest by then.

Pleased by this, Kurt began to unwrap his food and make himself a cheese sandwich. He ate slowly, admiring the fire, watching the flames lick up the logs. As he chewed, he thought he could see a little face in the fire. He amused himself by imagining the blue nose, the tiny green teeth, and the darker red eyes with some swirls of green to act as little curls on top of his head. He chuckled a little to himself at the thought, and then suddenly, the fire lifted up a little higher and blinked its red eyes. "What's so funny?"

Kurt jumped in his chair and spun around, hunting for the voice.

"That's the thing about letting amateurs into the castle; they never give me the credit I deserve," the voice sighed. Kurt realized it was coming from the hearth and turned, seeing the fire now eyeing him disdainfully.

Leaning forward, Kurt slid to the edge of his chair and absently set his food aside. "You're a fire," he said, his mind having trouble catching up with what he was seeing; he blamed it on the fact he was still somewhat sleepy. "You can talk."

"Yes," the fire said. "And you've got one of the most powerful transformation spells I've ever seen hanging over your head."

Kurt's eyebrows jumped so far upward that if he still had hair, he was sure they'd have disappeared into his hairline. "You know about the spell?"

"I'd have to be blind to _not_ know about the spell," the fire retorted, blazing up a little bit higher so its face was above the logs. "Then again, I _am_ a fire demon, and a powerful one at that, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that I'm able to recognize magic as strong as that. It's one of my many talents." The fire smiled, exposing its tiny green teeth, just like Kurt had imagined seeing in the flames.

"A fire _demon_?" Kurt inquired; he made no effort to disguise how impressed he felt. "That's incredible! I've never met a demon of any kind before, let alone a fire demon. What's your name?"

The fire seemed to stoke himself up just that little bit higher under Kurt's gaze, growing a little bigger and warmer, like he was puffing out his chest proudly. "I'd applaud you for being able to recognize greatness when you see it," he said. "You may call me Jesse."

"Well, Jesse," Kurt started, "is it possible for you to get the spell off of me?"

Jesse was quiet for a few moments, and then said, "It's a very strong spell. It feels like one of the Witch of the Waste's."

Kurt's blood ran cold at the words. He should have guessed that only someone as powerful as the Witch of the Waste could have turned him into this. He also recalled hearing rumors of her involvement with Sebastian, about how he'd broken her heart long ago and how she had been after his ever since. Maybe that was why he collected so many hearts of young girls. Instead of saying any of that, though, Kurt just kept quiet and looked at the edge of the hearth, avoiding the fire itself.

After a few moments, Jesse spoke up again. "Your spell is complicated," he said. "Even with my skill set, it may take some time to figure out the details." When Kurt sagged, he flared up. "But I'll make you a deal. You see, I'm bound to this grate by a contract. If you help me break the contract I'm under, I'll help break your curse."

Though the idea was certainly appealing, Kurt couldn't help but be somewhat skeptical of it all. This was a demon, after all, and a rather egotistical one at that. Who could say whether or not he was being dishonest? There was a chance that all of this was for nothing; Kurt would break Jesse's contract, and Jesse would be free, would run away before he could help Kurt. Then again, Kurt was capable of being dishonest as well. He could agree to do it and, if things turned bad, he would leave. It wasn't as if he was signing in blood.

"It's the best option you have," the demon goaded when Kurt didn't answer right away. "From what I understand, you can't tell anyone about that spell you're under unless they know already, so I'm the best hope you've got. And that's not just me trying to flatter myself."

That, too, was true. He recalled attempting to tell Santana about the curse, but finding himself unable to say the words aloud. Instead of agreeing straight away, Kurt decided to ask a little more about this contract; it was best, after all, to try and figure out what he was getting himself into. "Is this contract with Wizard Sebastian?"

The flaming face nodded. "Yes, and if I can be frank, I'm being exploited. Sebastian's quite heartless, you know. I keep the castle moving, keep up the tricks to scare people away if they get too close, and run most of the magic, among a laundry list of other things I never agreed to. Of course, I wouldn't have agreed if I wasn't going to get something in return, but I'm not so certain it's worth it anymore."

With a resigned little sigh (damn his bleeding heart), Kurt adjusted himself in his chair and settled in as if he wouldn't move again for a long time. "All right, so what are the terms?"

A terrifying blue grin overtook Jesse's face. "So you agree?"

"Yes," Kurt said, and even though he wasn't signing away his name, it felt very ominous anyway.

Jesse flared up again. "Perfect. Once my contract is broken, I'll break your spell."

It should have made Kurt happy to hear that, but instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and shut his eyes, feeling rather irritable. "What are the details of this contract? How do I break it?"

He knew before Jesse answered that this was where the catch came into play. Sure enough, Jesse eventually said, "I can't tell you. It's a part of the rules, just like your spell, but you seem like a rather sharp fellow; you'll be able to figure it out in no time, and if not? You die of old age, and I continue to burn away here in this gutter."

The urge to dump a bucket of water on Jesse's head was overwhelming, but Kurt was still fairly exhausted and moving sounded like the least appealing thing he could imagine doing. "Will you be able to give me a hint, at least?"

"I've already given you one," Jesse said, but Kurt was already beginning to doze in his chair once again.

* * *

Kurt woke up again, early in the morning with the dim light shining through the windows by the door, bleary-eyed and stiff, to the sound of someone rummaging around the table behind him. For a moment, he feared it was Sebastian. He had no good reason to stay (he couldn't tell Sebastian about his spell or the bargain with Jesse), so there was a fair chance he'd be turned out before the mist had disappeared from the hills if the wizard was here. But when he turned and looked, it was just Santana, throwing a few things into a purse and tying a cloak around her neck. She was in a stunning red dress today.

"That's a nice color for you," Kurt said groggily.

Santana turned, her eyebrows raised high, before she finished fastening her cloak and laughed. "Keep it in your pants, _papi_," she said, though she didn't sound offended. Kurt mentally cursed himself. He couldn't say those sorts of things without coming off as a bit creepy, he realized. If he'd been turned into an old crone, this wouldn't have been a problem.

"I'm not -" he began, then stopped, wondering how to convince her of his innocent intentions. Sighing, Kurt simply decided to turn around and say, "That's not what I meant, child."

There was silence for a moment. Jesse eyed him from the grate in silence, simply burning up the log he was curled around. Eventually, Santana came closer, draping her arm over Kurt's shoulder and squeezing a little. "Loosen up. I'm just teasin'. You'll get used to it." She flashed her teeth in a cheeky smile and stood up straighter, fluffing her hair a little bit and heading for the door. "Anyway, I've got some errands to run, so try not to burn the castle down while I'm gone, _comprendo_? Sebastard gets pissy enough as it is."

"Well, there go my plans for today," Jesse mused dryly.

Santana ignored him and fixed her big brown eyes on Kurt. "I'm serious. If anyone comes to the door, just ignore them."

Nodding, Kurt watched, with mild fascination, as Santana twisted a knob with four different colored sides so that the red-side was facing down toward the doorknob. When she opened the door she didn't step out into the hills about Market Chipping; no, she stepped right out into the bustlings streets of a city. Kurt only got a glimpse of a few cars passing by before Santana shut the door firmly behind her, cutting off all the sound outside.

He realized then that the windows weren't overlooking the hills. He pushed himself out of his chair and hobbled over without his walking stick. Grasping the windowsill, he straightened up just enough to see that the windows were looking down the hill of a seaside city. The water was clear and blue, reflecting the sky above, sunny and bustling with life. His jaw dropped, and Kurt hurried down to the door.

"Hey," Jesse called, leaning out of the grate. "Where are you going?"

Kurt didn't answer. He twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open to peer out onto the street. Much to his surprise, he wasn't looking at the cobbled streets leading to the ocean below; rather, he was greeted by the bright sights and tall buildings of Kingsbury.

"Get back in here," Jesse yelled, "or I'll shut the door right on your nose."

Reluctantly, Kurt backed away and closed the door behind him. He hobbled back up the stairs and stood beside the hearth. "How is that possible?"

"It's a portal, essentially," Jesse elaborated. "Sebastian came up with it. Though the castle moves, the portals stay in one place. He commandeered these abandoned houses and shops a while back and connected the doors to the castle. If the doors weren't enchanted, the houses would go back to looking like their dilapidated selves. He's doing them a favor, really."

Kurt glanced over to the windows. "Why do the windows overlook the sea? And where do the doors go?"

Jesse muttered something that sounded like 'amateurs' under his breath before saying, louder, "Another enchantment. He could change it to look like the hills or Kingsbury, if he wanted. The red side goes to Kingsbury, obviously; the green side goes out into the hills; and the blue side leads out into Porthaven."

_Porthaven!_ Kurt thought, half-thrilled and half-dismayed. Blaine was in Porthaven, or so his last letter had suggested. There was a chance, of course, that Blaine had already moved on to wherever he intended to travel to next, but Kurt was terrified of what might happen if Blaine were to see him like this. Swallowing thickly, Kurt turned to look down at Jesse and instead asked, "And the black one?"

"Only Sebastian knows that," the fire said in a tone that suggested the topic was not open for further discussion. Kurt wasn't quite awake enough yet to do battle with a fire demon, anyway, so he let the subject rest and instead grabbed his cane from where it was still hanging over the back of his chair, beginning to hobble around the room. Now that it was brighter, Kurt could see that the place was an absolute pigsty. Dust covered every inch of every surface; cobwebs clung to the rafters above; papers, books, dirty dishes, and various ingredients and objects littered the large wooden table at the back of the room, and the sink in the corner was piled high with more dishes.

"I was going to suggest coming up with an excuse as to why I'm here," Kurt said over his shoulder to Jesse, trying to locate the tea kettle, though he wasn't optimistic. "But the place is so dirty that I need no better excuse than that."

"Sebastian and Santana are awful at keeping tidy," Jesse complained from the grate. "Please tell me you'll _actually_ clean out the grate from time to time."

"Well, I'll have to keep up appearances, won't I?" Kurt retorted and finally unearthed the kettle from the dishes nearby. It didn't look too dirty, so he just rinsed it out a few times and then filled it with water. "That's the plan, then. You sent for help and hired me as your new cleaning man."

"I complain enough about it that it wouldn't surprise him in the slightest." Jesse flickered in such a way that he imagined the little flame shrugging. "It seems as good an excuse as any, and it saves him from having to do any work at all."

Kurt rummaged through some packets on the table until he unearthed a box of tea leaves. "Does Sebastian get out of doing work often?"

"He never does work if he can help it."

With the pot of water in hand, Kurt approached the grate. Immediately, Jesse backed up as far away from his logs as he could go. "Excuse me, but what do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

Kurt gave him a look. "I'm going to knit. What does it look like I'm doing, Jesse?"

"No way. If you actually think I'm going to bend for you, then I hate to be the one to tell you that the Witch of the Waste also gave you dementia in your old age."

"That's no way to talk to someone who's going to be breaking your contract."

Jesse hissed for a moment or two before saying, "You're as heartless as Sebastian," and finally lowering his head. The flames receded just a little, creating a perfect little ring for Kurt to set the kettle down.

"Good," he said absently, reaching for his sack of food. "That shall make it easier to deal with him, won't it?" He began to fix himself some bread and cheese. Tea was one thing, but he felt a little odd about taking Sebastian's food before he actually saw the wizard, so he ate the last of his food while his water boiled.

Just as the kettle began to scream, the knob let out a small chime as it turned. Kurt glanced up to see it was black-side down just before the handle turned and the door opened. Holding his breath, he watched as the wizard stepped inside, shaking moisture out of his hair; he looked as though he'd just gotten caught in a bad rain storm. The shoulders and sleeves of his silver suit were darkened with water. Sebastian shut the door and twisted the knob red-side down before turning and coming up the stairs.

He stopped just at the top to look between Kurt and Jesse, who had poked up around the kettle just enough to look at Sebastian. The both of them seemed to be waiting for whatever reaction Sebastian would have, but as the wizard shook out more water from his hair, all he said was, "Do I know you?"

The panic started to creep up on Kurt, and he did his best to keep calm as he lifted the kettle off of Jesse and said, "No. No, you don't know me, I'm afraid, but I've heard much about you, sir." Sebastian just raised an eyebrow, so Kurt took that as his sign to continue. "That is to say, I've spoken with Jesse -"

"Ah," Sebastian said, his expression lighting up a little bit as he finally stepped across the room to the cupboard over the sink. He took out two mugs and set them down near the hearth, watching as Kurt poured them each a cup of tea. "I see. So what does the little demon have to say about me this time?"

"That you're a heartless slob, mostly," Jesse said dryly from where he'd sunk underneath his logs.

"Wonderful." Sebastian looked over at Kurt with a slight smile. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today...?" He trailed off, clearly fishing for a name.

"Kurt. _Old_ Kurt."

Sebastian chuckled. "Yes, I can see that."

Kurt felt the back of his neck get hot but was glad when he didn't feel it rise any higher. "Jesse asked me to come and live in as a cleaning man. I daresay the place needs a good amount of tender love and care."

"I've been living in ashes for months," Jesse complained.

"I'm in no position to fight," Sebastian relented, and Kurt was surprised at how agreeable he was being about taking someone new into his castle. "I believe there's a cot stowed away upstairs somewhere; have Santana bring it down and set it up in that cubby over there whenever she gets back."

Kurt glanced over at the cubby, which was hidden away by a curtain strung up on a rod, before turning back to see Sebastian heading for the stairs. "Wait," Kurt said, utterly perplexed. Sebastian stopped and glanced back at him, still in the process of loosening his tie. "That's it? You aren't going to throw me out?"

At that, Sebastian laughed, loud and long. "Anyone who can bully Jesse into bowing his head to cook is likely a good person to have around," he said simply. He eyed Kurt then, looking him over from head to toe in a way that made Kurt feel hot and for a moment, just that moment, Kurt was absolutely certain that Sebastian could see right through the spell.

But then the moment was broken as Sebastian turned and headed up the stairs, calling down, "Jesse, hot water upstairs for my bath," as he went.


	3. In Which Kurt Breaks a Rule

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, with a few special surprise ships that will be listed as they appear!

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 3,200+ for this chapter.

* * *

It wasn't until the sun rose high in the sky and the water upstairs stopped that Santana returned from Kingsbury. She walked through the door, hustling a few bags inside, and clomped up the stairs to dump her purchases on the table. At last, she turned back to look at where Kurt was sitting, reading by the fire. "Is Sebastian back?"

"He arrived not long after you left," Jesse confirmed.

"Let me guess: He went right upstairs for a bath and hasn't come down since," Santana mused, propping a hand on her hip and turning to look at the stairs. She stepped over to them and peered up.

Kurt decided now was as good a time as any to say, "He told me to ask you to bring the cot down."

Santana's eyes narrowed, first on Kurt, and then on the landing. "Rat bastard," she eventually muttered, and started up the stairs. "I'd tell you to do it yourself, _papi_, but I'm afraid you'd break a hip."

For a moment, Kurt considered that. In spite of having slept in that uncomfortable wooden chair for the night on top of sitting there for the better part of the morning, Kurt actually felt pretty good in comparison to how stiff and sore he'd been the last day or so. His back no longer ached painfully when he tried to straighten up, and he found that he could walk around the room without the aid of his walking stick. Perhaps the rest after all that walking was beginning to do him good.

Eventually, Santana returned, dragging the metal contraption down after her. Kurt hurried over and helped her push the cot over to the cubby hole. Together, they unfolded it and got it all made up into a little bed. When Kurt tested it out, he was surprised to find that it was nice and soft; it would feel good on his back when he laid down to sleep tonight, this he knew for certain. The idea made him feel a little… giddy. Here he was, living inside Wizard Sebastian's moving castle with a fire demon and his smart-mouthed apprentice, seeking his fortune like he had so often dreamed of as a young child. It absolutely thrilled him.

Pulling the curtain back to hide his bed, Kurt made his way into the room and stopped at the table where Santana was working on what appeared to be a spell. Kurt couldn't make heads or tails of any of it, so he turned to the mess on the table and began to sort through it without asking.

"Hey," Santana snapped when she realized what Kurt was doing. "Stop that! Who do you think you are?"

"I think I'm your new cleaning man," Kurt said simply and went along with sorting through papers. "This castle is an absolute pigsty, and I refuse to live among the filth. Jesse has told me how much you and Sebastian seem to loathe tidying up, so I'm going to do it for you."

Santana stood helplessly by as Kurt began to make piles of books and papers. "But you don't know what any of it means."

"Then help me figure it out."

And just like that, the two of them were deciding which papers were absolutely necessary to keep and which ones they could throw away. They took the pile of books they had and set them near Kurt's cubby until they got a better place for them. Then, Kurt and Santana cleared up the dirty dishes from the table and cleaned the table until the wood was gleaming and unrecognizable.

"Wow," Santana said. "So if we keep doing this, the whole castle will look this nice?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, feeling much younger than usual as he said, "Of course it will."

They stopped after they finished with the table to eat. Since they dirtied the last of the dishes with their meal, Kurt decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon cleaning those while Santana organized the books on the bookshelf above the table and put the various ingredients and papers away in the cabinet nearby.

To Jesse, Kurt said, "Tomorrow, I will likely sweep out your grate and take care of the ceiling before mopping up the floors. How do you do your laundry?"

"There's a pump in the back yard and a tub Sebastian uses sometimes, but he usually just spells his clothes clean."

Kurt scoffed, thinking that total laziness, and vowed to take care of the laundry the good old fashioned way.

By dinnertime, the dishes were done. Kurt and Santana stacked them up in the cupboards above the sink and then made a nice big dinner of boiled potatoes, corn beef, gravy, and warm rolls. It was around that time Sebastian came down the stairs, now wearing a pair of simple gray pants, a loose white shirt, and an open black vest. A royal blue jacket was slung over his shoulder. His fingers were once again covered in rings of varying sizes and colors, two beautiful tear-drop earrings hanging from each earlobe. His hair, a honey blond, was styled upwards into a coif.

"You look awfully handsome," Kurt mused as he finished spooning potatoes onto Santana's plate.

"I've got places to be," Sebastian noted and took a seat at the table anyway.

"Did you lighten your hair?" Kurt asked.

"You noticed." Sebastian winked and took a roll of the table, breaking it into chunks and eating it slowly. "You've certainly done a number on the place. Jesse was right to hire you. Just - please. Whatever you do, leave the spiders alone." He gestured to the rafters above.

Kurt shook his head and swallowed his mouthful of beef and gravy. "If they want to stay, they can run along and find a new place to hide, but tomorrow, that ceiling is being cleaned."

"Hmm." Sebastian didn't say anything, but slid forward to the edge of his chair and took Kurt's empty hand in his own. He ran his fingers over the joints and glanced up into Kurt's eyes. "Are you up for that kind of labor?"

Although momentarily caught off guard, Kurt swallowed and managed to say, "A good night's sleep will be all I need to accomplish it, so yes. Yes, I am," very steadily.

"Then I won't stop you," Sebastian said agreeably. "But do _not_ go into my bathroom or bedroom. Understand?"

Immediately, Kurt's curiosity was piqued, but he promised not to touch Sebastian's rooms regardless. Satisfied, Sebastian stood up, shrugged into his jacket, and headed for the door. "Try not to let him overwork himself, all right?" he said to Santana as he headed down the stairs.

"And where are you off to?" Santana demanded around a mouthful of bread.

"Don't worry about it," Sebastian said with a charming smile. Though it dazzled Kurt, Santana seemed unimpressed. "If anyone comes asking for a spell, use your good judgment. If it's simple, you can take care of it; otherwise, take an order and tell them I'll be around the day after tomorrow, more likely than not, to fill it." Without waiting for an answer, Sebastian opened the door, green-knob down, and headed out into the darkened hills.

For some stupid reason, Kurt was sad to see him go. "Where's he off to?" he asked.

"Probably to go sleep around like he always does," Santana said plainly.

The words made Kurt stop feeling sad almost instantly. "What?"

"He's quite the little womanizer," Jesse noted from the grate. "And man-izer, come to think of it."

"He's a personizer," Santana said decisively. "He goes out, all the time, fools around with all these people, then ends up dumping them and breaking their hearts. Then their aunts and mothers and grandmothers and sisters and cousins all show up at our doors and Sebastian leaves me and Jesse to deal with the mess while he hides upstairs."

"They all call him the worst things." Jesse sounded incredibly amused. "Heart eater, soul stealer…"

"That's what they call him where I come from," Kurt grumped.

At that, Santana began to cackle. "Then you must come from Market Chipping. Sebastian sent me down there just after we arrived in the hills to spread rumors and blacken his name."

Kurt frowned and said nothing to that; why would Sebastian want Santana to blacken his name? In the end, he decided that he didn't care. Santana's explanation left Kurt feeling livid, so the less he had to do with Sebastian's business, the better. It was part of the reason as to why he was suddenly much more sympathetic toward Jesse; no wonder he wanted to break his contract! He struggled to find even a shred of sympathy for Sebastian after learning of his antics, which was why he silently vowed to go upstairs and clean the bathroom (and the bedroom, if he managed to get that far before Sebastian returned) at some point the next day. Kurt ate the rest of his meal with a little more force than usual and muttered angrily to himself the entire time he washed the dishes.

Neither Santana nor Jesse bothered Kurt for the remainder of the evening. They let him clean and mumble to himself in peace. Santana only came by to give him some old clothes he could use to sleep in until Kurt got enough wages to make his own purchases. He thanked her, changed for bed, plucked a book off of the shelf, and climbed into his cot to read for a little while before he fell asleep.

"G'night, _papi_," Santana called when she switched the last light off, leaving Kurt to read by the blaze of Jesse's fire. He listened to the stairs creak under her weight before the entire castle was silent for the night.

The cot was comfortable; that much, he couldn't deny. He'd go so far to say that it was just as comfortable as his bed had been back home; it eased the pressure off of his joints. He'd expected a lot more pain just laying there, considering the work he'd done around the main room of the castle. Perhaps that meant he was finally becoming more adjusted to the way his new body worked. _Which is good_, Kurt mused as he lay staring at the ceiling of his cubby, _considering I'm better off this way_. _I feel as though I've always been an old soul, after all_…

At least, that's what he tried to convince himself.

* * *

Early the next morning, Kurt awoke feeling refreshed and better than ever. He considered asking Jesse for some hot water so he could freshen up a little bit before deciding to ask after he'd cleaned out Jesse's grate (therefore giving the demon no reason to say no). He got dressed and made himself a simple breakfast of bread, cheese, and tea before beginning to store away everything that could end up getting dust on it. Satisfied that the most important things were hidden away, Kurt set to work on sweeping the rafters.

He was only about a quarter of the way through his task (the amount of dust, dirt, and bugs on the floor was truly alarming) when Santana came downstairs. "Jesus Christ," she drawled, eyes wide, "you do not waste time, do you?"

"I have a lot to accomplish today, child," Kurt huffed as he kept sweeping. "So either grab a broom and start helping or set up shop on the sidewalk just outside in case anyone needs your help."

Huffing, Santana hurried to the cupboard near the table to gather some papers and supplies before hurrying out through the door with the blue-side down. Through the windows, Kurt could see it was a beautiful sunny day out in Porthaven. He promised himself that as soon as he'd finished the worst of the cleaning and could begin to divvy his chores up more realistically, he'd begin making trips into Porthaven. He'd never seen the sea before, after all.

Kurt was sweating by the time he'd managed to get every corner of the rafters. He hobbled to the windows and threw them open for some fresh air before sweeping all the debris into a pile. Then he turned the knob green-side down and opened the door, sweeping it all out and leaving a dirt trail in the wake of the castle as it continued along the countryside.

"All right, Jesse," he said as he turned the knob back to blue. "You're next."

"I changed my mind," he said as Kurt laid a few loose chips and a log into a large bowl before coming at the hearth with an iron shovel. "I'm fine with living in the ash. Nobody but Sebastian can take me out of this hearth, anyway."

"Don't be silly," Kurt chided. "It'll only take a few minutes. You're going to be just fine."

Carefully, Kurt moved the logs away and stuck the shovel under Jesse's flame. The demon kept saying to be careful, and after a moment, Kurt saw why. He unearthed a small, dark lump from underneath the ashes, fluttering and moving like a little bird. Kurt had no idea what it was, but it appeared to be delicate because Jesse was genuinely near panic. Carefully, he deposited Jesse into the bowl, where the flame took refuge among the scraps of wood and began to burn slowly.

He then got to work on scraping out the enormous pile of ashes onto an old sheet he'd found. "Hurry up," Jesse insisted.

"Be quiet," Kurt snapped, sweeping out the rest of the ash and finally folding up the sheet and dragging it out through the door green-side down. He shook the sheet out and headed back inside to find that Jesse was still clinging desperately to his log.

"Hurry, please," Jesse begged desperately, all trace of teasing and egoism gone from his voice. Kurt wasted no time in setting a few logs in the now-clean grate, situating the little lump safely underneath.

"All right now?"

"Don't ever move me again," Jesse snapped, sinking down amongst the logs and glaring up at Kurt. Kurt just rolled his eyes.

"I thought you said no one but Sebastian could move you."

Jesse didn't say anything.

Sighing, Kurt decided that meant he wasn't allowed to use the fire to cook, so he used what vegetables Sebastian had lying around to make small salads to go with the cheese and bread. He mentally added grocery shopping to his list of things to do; there was no way he could keep living off of bread and cheese, especially at his age.

He called Santana in to eat, then told her it was all right for her to work at the table while Kurt mopped the floor. "This place looks totally different," Santana mused. "Who knew the rafters weren't actually black?"

"Yes, and if this place doesn't stay tidy, you'll have my wrath to face," he warned as he began to hobble up the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going?" Santana asked, leaning up from her chair. "Sebastian said to leave his rooms alone."

"I'm just going mop the hallway. Relax."

It seemed to appease Santana, for she sat back and looked down at her work. Jesse remained hidden and silent under the logs.

Upstairs, the hall was narrow and dark; the only window was a tiny one at the end of the hall. The cobwebs were too high for Kurt to reach without a chair, so he decided to take care of that later. He instead walked into the bathroom and filled his bucket with some soap and water and actually mopped up the hall floor. If he happened to mop himself back into the bathroom by the end of it, well, that wasn't really his fault, was it?

While the floor dried, Kurt turned and took in the sight of the bathroom. It wasn't too bad by any means, but the place definitely needed to be cleaned. There were bottles and viles and packets strewn all over the shelves, floor, and sink counter, so Kurt got to work on tidying them up. He scrubbed down the sink, cleaned up the tub, and mopped the floor; by the time he'd scrubbed the place spotless, the floor of the hallway had dried, so Kurt made his way downstairs again, mopping each stair as he went. Santana and Jesse were none the wiser.

The rest of the evening was spent quietly. Kurt sat beside the fire and read until it was time to eat. Jesse reluctantly let Kurt make some bacon and eggs. They ate quickly, and Kurt went back upstairs to wash up just as he'd been thinking about earlier that morning. He made it quick; looking at his body for too long just made him sad. He was so tired that when he came downstairs, he crawled right into his cot, closed the curtain, and went to sleep.

* * *

It was apparently a habit for Kurt to awaken late at night. This time, it was to the sound of voices. Although the lights were off, he was vaguely aware of Jesse flickering bright enough to cast shadows over the curtain of Kurt's cubby. It only took him a few moments more to realize the demon was conversing quietly with Sebastian.

"...right out of the grate?" Sebastian was asking.

"Yes!" hissed Jesse irritably. "Like it was no trouble whatsoever. You know how much I hate being trapped here, but he should _not_ have been able to do that under _any_ circumstance. It's in the rules."

Sebastian hummed. "He's not evil, though. I don't even think he knows he's magic."

And then there were footsteps. The curtain began to slide away, quietly, until Sebastian was looking down at Kurt. His expression started as one of mild surprise before smoothing out into something Kurt would have sworn was affectionate. Then, he smiled. "You're a tenacious one, aren't you?"

Kurt just shifted over onto his back. He'd forgotten all about his crusade to be angry, like he hadn't sabotaged Sebastian's bathroom as a result of it. "You're back."

"I'm back," Sebastian confirmed and eased himself down onto the edge of the cot. "Did you pick Jesse up from the grate?"

"Yes. But only to sweep up the ash. I never meant to disturb him."

"It's all right," Sebastian soothed, reaching out a hand to lay over Kurt's on the blanket. "He's all right. I was just curious. That's all."

Kurt looked down at their hands and was surprised to see his was smooth and unblemished, just like it used to be. It caused him to sigh softly. "This is a dream."

Sebastian smiled, confused, and tilted his head to one side. "What makes you think that?"

"I'm young again."

Kurt swore he heard Jesse say, "I told you," quietly from the hearth, but he couldn't be sure. Not when Sebastian was looking at him so intensely.

"I'm sorry to have woken you." Sebastian gave Kurt's hand one last squeeze; when Kurt looked down again, his hand was withered and old. Perhaps it had been just a trick of the light before, his mind playing tricks on him. Whatever the explanation didn't matter, because Sebastian was sliding the curtain closed. "Sleep well, Kurt."

And Kurt slept.


	4. In Which Kurt Encounters an Old Friend

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, with a few special surprise ships that will be listed as they appear!

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 3,200+ for this chapter.

* * *

He woke the next morning to the sound of water running upstairs. Kurt eased himself up and pushed the curtain aside, convinced that his talk with Sebastian had only been a dream. He barely grumped a greeting to Jesse before dressing and putting a pot of tea on. Santana came down moments later, groggy and unresponsive when Kurt said hello. The morning was looking to be a quiet one when there was a horrific crash upstairs, followed by a yell of surprise. And then: "KURT!"

Santana's eyes were wide as she stared at Kurt from across the table. Jesse eventually piped up, saying, "You went into the bathroom, didn't you?"

"I just wanted to tidy up a little," Kurt said meekly. It was partially true; the rest of his reasoning was that Sebastian deserved whatever Kurt had done.

Footsteps thundered overhead, and suddenly, Sebastian was propelling himself down the stairs in nothing but a towel slung low around his hips. To say that Kurt admired the sight was a bit of an understatement; Sebastian was lean and toned, with a slightly tanned complexion and freckles dotting his entire torso. Unfortunately, he was soon right up in Kurt's face, his expression absolutely furious. "What did you do in the bathroom?!" he shouted.

"I tidied!" Kurt retorted.

"I told you not to touch two rooms," Sebastian practically snarled. "My bedroom, and the bathroom. Are you _deaf_, or just stupid?"

At that, Kurt stood up. "What's the big deal about it, anyway?"

"_Look!_"

Sebastian lowered his head and shoved his fingers through his hair. What had previously been a lovely shade of honey blond was now a deep shade of chestnut brown with streaks of lighter color throughout. Honestly, Kurt thought it looked rather nice; he cursed himself for not being more careless with the bottles.

"I like it this color," Kurt noted.

Sebastian scoffed and straightened up. "It doesn't matter if _you_ like it," he snapped. "My hair is ruined!"

That made Kurt's temper flare up full force. It probably had something to do with his personizing. Why else would Sebastian be so angry about the fact that his appearance had been compromised, just as Kurt had intended it to be? Kurt couldn't stop himself from saying those thoughts aloud. "Oh, so now you can't seduce some innocent person and leave them broken-hearted tomorrow morning? What a tragedy!"

Sebastian's nostrils flared. "What the hell does it matter to you? You're not the one I'm seeing, are you?"

Something new panged Kurt's heart, something cold and ugly. Some may have called it jealousy, but there was absolutely no way Kurt was jealous over the fact Sebastian was seeing so many other people. In fact, he felt sorry for them. "And thank God for that!" Kurt retorted harshly. "You're an insufferable, egotistical narcissist who can barely keep his castle together!"

"And you're just a demented old man who can't follow simple instructions!"

"And you look like such a big, strong guy for yelling at him like you are," Santana finally piped up from the able.

Both Kurt and Sebastian turned abruptly and yelled: "Shut up!"

Silence fell, enveloping the entire room so tightly that Kurt thought he might suffocate on it. Finally, Sebastian turned for the stairs. "Get out of my castle," he said as he started up. "You're fired."

"Sebastian," Jesse called from the grate, but he got no response. Upstairs, a door slammed.

"Don't go, _papi_," Santana insisted as Kurt began to shuffle around, gathering up his meager belongings. "He's just throwing a tantrum."

"Then if he wants to take it back, he can come find me and apologize like an adult," Kurt said without looking at her. The door had the green-side down, so Kurt twisted it to blue and stepped out onto the street of Porthaven.

"Please, Kurt," Santana said, standing on the stairs. She looked so young, her eyes wide. Kurt got the feeling that the apology he wanted from Sebastian wouldn't ever come. "Don't go."

Kurt just smiled sadly. "Good-bye, Santana. Thank you for your help." Then, he shut the door and started to hobble down the street.

The weather was pleasant; the sky was overcast with splotches of blue here and there. The sea was calm, and the breeze was warm, so Kurt didn't anticipate any bad weather. He kept on walking until he made it to the end of the street, just a few yards away from the edge of the ocean. A glance back told him that Sebastian's shop wasn't all that far away; he'd be able to make it back easily if he had to, though he didn't anticipate that happening, seeing as he was fired now.

"At least I stood up for myself," Kurt said to his walking stick as he continued along the road. "I can be proud I stood by what I believe in."

The thought offered less comfort than Kurt had expected it to.

He continued to hobble along the street until he reached some stairs that led down to the docks and the beach. Kurt leaned against the sandstone wall dividing the sand from the street to carefully take his shoes and socks off. Letting them dangle from his fingers, Kurt began to walk slowly to the edge of the water, doing his best to move carefully after his feet slipped a little bit as he went. When he reached the firmer sand, Kurt was surprised to feel the water was incredibly cold.

By the time he stepped off the beach, wiped his feet off, and put his shoes back on, the sun was high in the sky and he was beginning to grow hungry. Unfortunately, he had no money, so he decided to wander along a little longer until he figured out what to do. Perhaps he could find another job cleaning somewhere, or working in another repair shop.

A young man, relatively short for a boy, in a cabbie cap and a blue cardigan, was holding a stack of newspapers under his arm, holding another lofted over his head and waving it to and fro as he called out the headlines. "'Royal Wizard missing'!" he called. "'The search for the King's brother continues'!"

The words got Kurt to stop and eye the stack of papers before hobbling closer. "Excuse me, young man," Kurt requested, "could I see one of those just for a moment? I don't have any change, but I -"

"Oh, it's all right," the young man said, and he turned the full force of his beautiful golden eyes on Kurt. All he could do was stop and stare - the curls poking out, those eyes, those lashes; how could he have thought it was anyone other than Blaine? Words left him. What was Blaine still doing in Porthaven? Kurt had been under the impression Blaine was going to travel, and for a moment, he was simultaneously overjoyed and dismayed to see him.

He realized, belatedly, that he hadn't heard of what Blaine had just said. "I'm sorry; I got a bit distracted there," Kurt apologized and took the proffered paper. Though he had been planning read through the article in its entirety, all he could focus on was the fact that Blaine was standing right beside him.

"It's not a problem," Blaine said kindly. "Would you like to take a seat?"

Kurt couldn't deny his knees were aching, so he gladly took a seat on the bench against the building Blaine had set up in front of. He began to mime reading the paper, though he was really observing Blaine as the boy sold papers to the people passing by on the streets. He looked just the same as Kurt remembered, if only younger, if that were possible. "You're such a kind boy," Kurt found himself saying, unable to get the memories of their stolen moments together out of his head. They were making the back of his neck get hot. "What's your name?"

"Blaine," Blaine said over his shoulder with a smile. "Who might you be, sir?"

Kurt opened his mouth to give his name and then stopped. He knew he resembled his young self in some ways; his real name may have made Blaine more suspicious than Kurt wanted him to be, so he quickly lied: "Elijah." Not many people knew Kurt's middle name, and he couldn't remember if he'd told Blaine or not; by the way Blaine took it with a grain of salt, Kurt figured he didn't remember even if Kurt _had_ told him. The thought made Kurt a little sad.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Blaine said. "But I don't believe I've seen you around Porthaven much."

"I've just moved into town," Kurt said, paused, and then quickly added, "My son insisted the sea air may be good for my joints. I'm afraid these -" He set his hands on his knees for emphasis. "- just aren't what they used to be."

With a lull in business for the moment, Blaine took a seat beside Kurt on the bench. Kurt had been fearing that Blaine was simply humoring his company to be polite, but now that they were looking directly at one another, Kurt could see the genuine interest in his friend's face. The sight of those warm eyes made him want to cry for a couple of reasons, but he managed to hold it together. "I'm new to the area as well," Blaine said. "I intended to travel, but I liked it here so much that I decided to stay." He hesitated and then, laughing in that embarrassed way that always made Kurt's stomach swoop pleasantly, admitted in a low voice, "I'm also secretly hoping I'll be able to convince the wizard on the hill to take me on as an apprentice."

Kurt blinked and said nothing; he just stared at Blaine and then asked, "But why?"

"They say he's the best," Blaine said plainly with a shrug. "Second only, of course, to the Royal Wizard, but…" Blaine trailed off and pointed to the glaring headline staring up from Kurt's lap; it was all the explanation Kurt needed, really.

"Where are you staying right now, young man?" Kurt asked instead.

At that, Blaine laughed again. "I'm staying with the news printer." He pointed to the building behind them. "His son recently went off to the university in Kingsbury, so I offered to help him out until I found a wizard to take me on."

"I'm sure you'll find someone," Kurt said confidently. Blaine just smiled at that, and for a moment, there was silence. Then, Kurt cleared his throat and continued. "I don't mean to impose… but I was wondering if you would indulge me in the pleasure of your company from time to time? I don't see much of anyone anymore, you see, and Seb… my son can be quite insufferable in large doses."

Blaine laughed again; Kurt's stomach swooped. "Of course not," Blaine said kindly. "I'd be honored."

Kurt couldn't stop himself from smiling widely in return, though his focus was broken moments later by a very familiar voice yelling, "_There_ you are!"

He looked up to see Sebastian approaching, strides long. His forehead was creased with worry. "What do you want?" Kurt asked, struggling to get himself off of the bench. Blaine took his elbow and eased Kurt to his feet. He smiled his thanks. "I see your hair is perfectly fine, even dry."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Are you coming back or not?"

"Are you ready to apologize for being an ass?"

Blaine chuckled. "Is this your son?"

At that, Sebastian's eyebrows lifted. Panicked, Kurt fumbled for just a moment before blurting, "Yes. This is Sebastian. Sebastian, this nice young man is Blaine."

Blaine was staring open-mouthed at Sebastian, who pursed his lips and eyed Blaine skeptically. "You're Sorcerer Smythe? Sebastian Smythe?"

"What of it?" Sebastian asked.

"I just - I've heard a lot about you," Blaine gushed. Kurt could practically see the hearts in his eyes from where he was standing, and it just made him feel cold all over. "I'd love to have an apprenticeship with you, sir. You're an incredible wizard."

Sebastian was practically preening under the shower of compliments. Kurt wanted nothing more than to ruin his hair all over again. "Thank you, but I'm afraid I already have an apprentice. I'll pass your name along to some of my colleagues. You said it was…?"

"Blaine. Blaine Anderson."

"It's very nice to meet you," Sebastian said, winking. Kurt clenched his hands into fists and resisted the urge to grind his teeth together, especially when that stupid smirk was now sent in his direction. "Come along now, father. It's almost time for supper."

"It was nice meeting you, Elijah," Blaine said, though he was still smiling at Sebastian.

Sebastian took Kurt's elbow and led him down the street. Once they were out of sight and earshot, Kurt yanked his arm from Sebastian's grasp as the wizard asked, "Care to explain?"

"No."

Sighing, Sebastian stepped in Kurt's path, causing the old man to almost run nose-first into his chest. "Look… I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have fired you. But I told you not to mess around in the bathroom for a reason."

"If you're trying to appeal to me through vanity, it's not working," Kurt snapped angrily, hobbling around Sebastian and heading for the hill that would lead toward the shop. Sebastian seemed to realize that he wasn't going to get anymore answers out of Kurt and simply followed at a reasonable distance all the way back.

Kurt was, however, surprised by the warm welcome he got upon entering the castle.

"Thank god," Santana said, leaning on the railing overlooking the stairs. "I was worried you'd have died before he got to you."

Kurt said nothing; he didn't want to take his anger out on Santana by mistake. He simply shuffled toward his cot and carefully toed off his shoes. Sebastian spoke instead. "He's a resilient old man," he said, shrugging out of his jacket. "I'm sure it'd take a bit of force to kill him." Louder, he said, "What shall we have for dinner?"

All Kurt could think about was the way Blaine had looked at Sebastian; it had been the same wide-eyed look Blaine had given Kurt just before they kissed for the first time. The sight of it directed at Sebastian made Kurt feel sick with jealousy. He'd been the one Blaine had loved, and now, Blaine didn't even recognize him. It just made the stupid curse feel all the more real, all the more out of his control. He didn't even realize he was crying until he sucked in a sharp breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob.

"_Papi_?" Santana said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kurt said quickly and used his sleeve to mop up the mess on his face. "I'm not very hungry. I'd just like to lay down and read my paper, if that's all right." Without waiting for a response, he brandished the paper he hadn't even noticed he'd taken from Blaine and laid back on his cot, pulling the curtain across to hide himself. He slid his legs under the covers and laid the newspaper over his knees, though at first he didn't read; instead, he listened hard, waiting to see if he could hear the three individuals out there say anything. Unfortunately, they were either very good at whispering or Kurt's hearing had gone in his old age.

He decided then to busy himself with actually reading the paper, like he'd intended to ages ago:

_ROYAL WIZARD MISSING; THE SEARCH FOR THE KING'S BROTHER CONTINUES._

_Earlier this year, news of Prince Finley Abrams' disappearance spread across Ingary. Various sources have stated that his Highness originally left the capital of Kingsbury after a tiff with his brother, his Majesty the King. When communication between his Highness and his betrothed, Lady Marley Rose, ceased, the King sent the Royal Wizard, Samuel Evans, to go locate his brother himself._

_Unfortunately, approximately a week or so ago, it was reported that communication with Samuel had also ceased. Many speculate foul play on the part of Strangia, and that war is on the horizon for Ingary. For a full story on these royal disappearances, please turn to page five._

Kurt laid the paper in his lap and smoothed his hand over the front page. His gaze shifted to the curtain divider. Wizard Samuel's disappearance meant that there was no Royal Wizard overseeing the king's affairs; if they really _were_ going to war, a Royal Wizard would be pertinent to Ingary's success, especially considering how abysmal both Strangia and High Norland were when it came to magic. And the only wizard Kurt knew was second to Samuel was -

The curtain jostled a little. "_Papi_, I've got a bit of food for you. I'm bound under contract to make sure you eat it, and if you refuse, I'm allowed to pinch your nose closed and shove it down your throat. What's it going to be?"

Sighing, Kurt pulled the curtain back. Santana immediately sat and handed a plate of fruit, bread, and cheese over for Kurt to eat. She also held a steaming mug of tea between both hands. When Kurt gestured for her to do so, Santana just leaned over and set it on the floor beside his cot. After he'd taken his first bite to appease her, Kurt asked, "Why do you call me that?"

"What? _Papi_?" At his nod, Santana pursed her lips and then explained, "Sebastian comes from this weird land I've never heard of, and he teaches me the language sometimes. _Papi_ is like… the affectionate version of grandpa."

"That would insinuate you actually like me," Kurt noted after swallowing a grape.

Santana snorted and folded her arms over her stomach. "It's only been, like, three days. Don't get ahead of yourself." She paused and then admitted, "You don't put up with his crap. It's a nice change. Most people just bend over backwards to do whatever he wants. But not you."

"Not me," he agreed.

Santana was quiet as he kept eating before looking over at Kurt. "You kind of fit here, you know?" She smirked a little and looked up at the ceiling, her hands settled in her lap. "The cowardly wizard, the no-nonsense fire demon, the scathing apprentice, and the sassy old grandpa."

Kurt chuckled at that and smiled fondly at her. Santana was certainly someone Kurt could see himself growing closer to as time went on. "I suppose I do."

There was silence then, and after a moment or two, Santana shook herself out of whatever affectionate daze she had gotten herself into. "Okay, well, you finish eating while I go wash the taste of sentimentality out of my mouth." She walked away without waiting for an answer, though Kurt began to laugh at her back. Although he was sad about a lot of things, he couldn't deny that he liked being there in the castle, even if Sebastian was insufferable. _There's always a silver lining_, Kurt thought with a smile, and Sebastian's moving castle was certainly a blessing in its own way.


	5. In Which Kurt is Alone in the Castle

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, with a few special surprise ships that will be listed as they appear!

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 3,200+ for this chapter.

* * *

Kurt spent the next few days finishing up the worst of the cleaning in the castle. About a week after first arriving, the place was nearly unrecognizable. He'd dusted, cleaned the rafters, swept, mopped, did the dishes, did the laundry, and organized everything into a specific place. Instead of looking like a complete disaster zone, it looked warm and inviting, like someone actually called the place home instead of just dwelling there from time to time. He and Santana also did some grocery shopping with the funds Sebastian had stowed away, allowing Kurt to spend a bit of time with Blaine in Porthaven here and there.

One morning on a day Kurt had been planning on doing laundry, he awoke in utter pain. His joints were completely stiff; every part of his body ached so badly he genuinely felt as though he might throw up. He must have slept later than intended as well, because as soon as he let out the first moan of agony, Sebastian, who never woke earlier than anyone else, was pulling back the curtain divider of Kurt's cubby.

The two hadn't properly spoken since their fight over the bathroom, and Kurt could tell Sebastian was trying his hardest to at least be civil, even if that meant the two didn't talk at all. But in that moment, looming over Kurt's cot with his brow furrowed, he looked genuinely concerned, and Kurt didn't have the heart to continue being rude. "What's the matter?" Sebastian asked.

"My joints," Kurt breathed. "Seven hells - they ache worse than anything I've ever felt."

Sebastian frowned and glanced over his shoulder. "It's likely the weather," he mused and turned back to Kurt. He got down on one knee in front of the cot and took one of Kurt's liver-spotted hands between both of his own, rubbing slowly. His green eyes seemed to get more artificial in color the longer he rubbed until he finally asked, "Is that better?"

"A little. Not much."

Sebastian frowned and took the other hand, rubbing it just as slowly before pushing himself to his feet. "Unfortunately, I've got to head out; otherwise, I'd cook up a spell for your rheumatism," he said over his shoulder, as he donned his coat. Kurt sat up and from where he could see, it was misty and raining out in Porthaven. Today, it seemed, was going to be a sore day for Kurt. "Santana!"

A few moments passed, and then Santana came rushing down the stairs. "What?"

"I'm leaving a list of ingredients," Sebastian said absently; Kurt could hear the scrawl of a pen on paper from where he was laying. "Go out to Market Chipping, pick them up, and brew a sleeping draught. Kurt's rheumatism is acting up, and he needs to rest. I've got some business to attend to, but I'll try to be back by tonight. I still owe the king his transporting spell, after all."

"Fine," Santana said and went back upstairs.

Sebastian was in front of his cubby again. "Can you handle being bound to bed today?"

"I'm sure I'll manage," Kurt said, attempting to be off-handed but actually sounding feeble. Sebastian frowned at that.

"I'll be back," he said firmly. Then he went to the door, twisted the knob black-side down, and disappeared through it. Kurt sighed as Jesse flipped the dial back to one of the other colors.

Santana appeared in the middle of the room just a few moments later, dressed in a long dress and a cloak. "Okay, I'm leaving. Do you need anything, _papi_?"

"I'm sore, not an invalid, Santana," Kurt grumped.

"All right, grouchy," she said as she headed for the door and twisted the knob green-side down. "Sebastian told me to tell you to not move around too much unless you absolutely have to. There should be some leftover soup in the pot from last night."

"Yes, yes," Kurt said, waving his hand dismissively. "Get out of here."

Without anymore prompting, Santana was gone, slamming the door behind her.

The castle was suddenly silent. Kurt laid back and looked at the ceiling of his cubby, trying desperately to not feel so feeble when the sound of logs burning and fire crackling flared up from the grate. A quick glance over showed him that Jesse had jumped above the wood, peering out toward the cubby. "I was thinking we'd never get a day to ourselves," he mused. "Sebastian's usually never around this much."

"Probably terrified I'll fuss with the bathroom again, no doubt," Kurt grumbled and pushed himself up into a sitting position. It took longer than it should have to grab his cane and limp to the icebox where the pot of leftover soup was sitting. Kurt spooned some out into a bowl, carried it over to the grate, sat in his chair, and set the bowl down on the hearth. Jesse stretched out a thin arm of flame and touched the bowl, warming it for Kurt.

"Thank you."

"Have you made much progress with my contract?" Jesse inquired without preamble. Kurt rolled his eyes and just stirred the soup around; when he didn't respond, Jesse continued. "It's been over a week, and I'm simply curious to know if you've been keen enough to begin figuring it all out."

"You haven't given me any hints," Kurt pointed out. The soup was beginning to bubble around the edges, so he waved Jesse's thin arm away and took the bowl between his hands. The warmth made him feel a little bit better almost immediately; for a moment, he just sat there and held the bowl.

"Yes, I have," Jesse retorted, defensive.

"Well, I didn't catch them. Either be more obvious or make sure I'm paying attention." His voice came out sharper than he'd intended; he was irritable today, and he couldn't be bothered to apologize. If Jesse wanted to talk contracts, he should have picked a different day.

"That'd be giving information, and I'm forbidden from doing that," Jesse pointed out.

Shrugging, Kurt began to spoon the soup into his mouth, staring at the logs and chewing thoughtfully. He tried to recall the conversations he'd had with Jesse, either in the presence of other people or not, but he couldn't come up with anything that stood out. Perhaps it was his faulty memory - had the Witch affected his mind with her spell as well? - but perhaps it was the fact Jesse truly hadn't been giving good enough hints. Whatever the reason, all Kurt could recall worth noting was the way Jesse had utterly panicked when Kurt had moved him from the grate. It was what caused Kurt to ask, "Jesse, why is it that Sebastian is the only one who can pick you up?"

That immediately caused Jesse to sink down toward the nearest log. "It's in our contract."

"But _I_ picked you up," Kurt noted, very closely on the edge of bragging.

"And you shouldn't have been able to," Jesse snapped, but then eased up the tone a little to add, "which is why you're the perfect one to break the curse. Neither one of us would survive if the wrong person were to do it, and you can talk life into things. As much as I complain about him, I really would hate for Sebastian to die."

Kurt considered that and finished off his soup in silence. He remained silent as he hobbled to the sink and began to wash out his bowl. When that task was finished he shuffled back across the room and turned his eyes to the line of books over his head. "Would you mind not telling anyone if I look through some of these books?" Kurt asked as he eyed the peculiar titles on the shelf.

"Is it to help break my contract?"

Exasperated, Kurt sighed. "Yes."

"Then no, I wouldn't mind at all."

Kurt stretched an arm up and selected a few books off of the shelf. He slowly flipped through the first but only found a listing of basic spells and potions, ingredients and their properties, and the proper ways to brew. He saw the sleeping draught listed and left it out for Santana for when she returned from Market Chipping. A few of the other books proved to be just as fruitful. Most were simply guides to magic, filled with information on how to perform it; there was nothing about contracts with fire demons.

He moved on to the chest of drawers they'd stored some papers in and rifled through a few of those. Unfinished letters, memos from the King, letters from colleagues, pages and pages of notes; Kurt was about to give up when he saw a small, flat book tucked away at the back of the drawer. He slid it to the front, picked it up, and hobbled back to his cot. It was small enough that if Santana were to walk in on him, he could easily hide it under his pillow before she saw.

The book was small and flat, well-worn with age. The pages had turned yellow and when Kurt flipped through, he saw that some of the ink had smudged. The handwriting was thin and nearly illegible. Kurt wondered if it was Sebastian's handwriting before attempting to read.

It was a journal, dated in a peculiar way at the top of each page. The first was labeled: _06 . 14 . 06_. and was followed by a few pages of words Kurt could barely read. Many pages following were similar, though he eventually grew accustomed to the scrawl and managed to pick up a few tidbits of information. The notes appeared to be theories, assumptions about magic, by someone who didn't know much about it. One page in particular described a rumor about how catching and consuming falling stars gave a person stronger magical abilities. Another described failed attempts at potion-making, and later entries told of development of a door that would lead into another world.

It was all a bit much for Kurt, though this tiny book seemed important, so he slipped it under the mattress of his cot for safe keeping. He must have been trying to decode it for a while, because a few minutes after he hid the book away, the door opened green-side down and Santana came in, her cloak spattered with wet spots. "It's raining in Market Chipping, too," she said. "No wonder you're in such pain."

"Such is the way of getting old," Kurt sighed.

Santana unpacked her ingredients, flipped through the book, and finally approached Kurt's cubby. "Here. I figured you might want something to read or whatever, so I got you a paper." She held up Market Chipping's weekly publication and handed it over when Kurt reached for it. None of the headlines in particular caught his attention, so he just began to read from start to finish, working his way through each article as Santana worked on brewing the draught.

"I'm shit at this," she said eventually, her voice laced with frustration as she carried the pot to the sink in order to dump it out. Kurt just hummed in reply and continued on reading. She must have gotten it right eventually, because she was holding a mug out to him just as he flipped the paper over to look at the back page.

And there, staring up at him, was a photo of himself.

He was so startled for a moment that he didn't know what to do. He didn't understand. It was one of his school photographs; his family wasn't in the habit of purchasing or taking photographs very often, but his mother had insisted on at least getting Kurt's school photo taken every year. It had cost them a pretty penny for just one photograph, but Kurt's mother had been in love with them, would flip through the scrapbook of them from time to time. This one was from the school year when she got sick - the most recent one that had been taken.

His finger absently traced the slope of his own nose, his stomach getting tighter and tighter as each moment passed. The initial shock eventually wore off and he began to read the page, top to bottom. It was a missing person's notice. His father had put a missing person's notice in the paper.

"Kurt?" Santana said; she sounded insistent, voice tinged with worry. "Kurt, do you know this person?"

"This is -" he started but didn't know where to go from there. Tears were gathering in his eyes, and he blinked a few times to will them away, and for a few moments, he couldn't even speak. Santana waited patiently, but he could see her eyes darting between the advertisement and Kurt's face the entire time.

"- my grandson," he finished, voice tight.

"Oh, shit," she said. "Jesse!"

"I heard him," the demon said. "Bring it here; let me see."

Santana gently pried the newspaper from Kurt's hands and carried it over to the hearth. Kurt couldn't hear what they were saying; he was too focused on the fact that he'd abandoned his father. His father, who had done nothing but be strong and support Kurt when he'd completely collapsed after his mother had died. His father, who was his only family in the world. His father, who he'd abandoned.

Kurt shot a hand out and yanked the curtain closed, as if that could stifle the sound of his sobs. He cried so hard his back and ribs ached. He cried for his father, he cried for Blaine, and most importantly, he cried for himself. He cried for the spell over his head, for his wasted attempt to seek his fortune, and for ruining everything that had been so good. He desperately wished for things to go back to normal, that he could just wake up from this nightmare and laugh with relief over the fact it had all been in his head.

But the aching in his ribs, in his joints, reminded him that this was real.

"_Papi_," Santana said from beyond the curtain. She sounded worried; with good reason, too. Kurt sounded as though he were in pain. "Drink this. You'll feel better if you do."

Once more, Kurt pulled back the curtain and, without thinking about what he looked like to Santana and Jesse, he accepted the mug of the draught and took a long, slow pull. It warmed him from the inside out, tingling a little as the liquid settled warmly in his stomach. Almost immediately, he felt drowsy. The tears stopped, and all he could focus on now was fighting to keep his eyes opened. Even the pain in his joints ebbed away, and Kurt barely registered Santana taking the mug from his hands. "See?" she murmured. "Better."

Kurt tried to make his mouth say, "Thank you," but all that came out was a sigh.

* * *

Kurt couldn't have been asleep for very long, because it was still light outside when Sebastian shook him awake.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

"'Bas," Kurt slurred, blinking a few times, but he couldn't get his eyes to behave properly.

"Are you still in pain?"

When Kurt said, "Yes," he knew it was for reasons that extended far beyond his rheumatism. He knew, for that brief moment, that Sebastian understood. "I just want to sleep," Kurt added miserably.

"You can," Sebastian assured and began to root through his pocket. He produced a small, orange bottle filled with what appeared to be tiny beads; the cap was peculiar-looking and complicated, though Sebastian opened it with ease. He shook two of the tiny objects out into his palm. They were small and white, oval-shaped, unlike anything Kurt had ever seen before. "Here. Swallow these. It'll help with the pain."

Kurt didn't question him. He just accepted the beads and the glass of water Sebastian had set on the floor and swallowed both in one mouthful. He sighed, passed the glass back, and closed his eyes, thinking that was the end of it, but Sebastian didn't get up right away. "Is there something more you need?" Kurt asked without opening his eyes. He sounded exhausted to his own ears.

"Santana told me about your… grandson."

Kurt opened his eyes and met Sebastian's gaze; the wizard's expression was unreadable though his tone had been somewhat skeptical. He wasn't sure if it was just because he was so exhausted or if he really had no idea where Sebastian was going with this, so he just remained quiet and waited for Sebastian to continue.

"She can be… very forceful when she wants something," Sebastian started, looking across the room at something. His face split into a smile as he laughed. "I'm pretty sure that she'd make me marry her if she really wanted." The thought made Kurt snort in amusement in spite of himself, which caused Sebastian's eyes to turn back to where Kurt was laying in bed. "It's nice to have around in that respect. She grounds me. What I'm trying to say," Sebastian continued, speeding up as he tried to get to his point, "is that she's part of the reason why you're here. My stubborn ass would have let you starve out there on the streets of Porthaven if she hadn't shown me what a mistake I was making. And a mistake it would have been, indeed."

"Where is this going?" Kurt inquired, his voice tight with emotion. He didn't even realize he was near tears again until he spoke, so he quickly and discreetly wiped away the moisture from his eyes.

"We spoke a little bit about your grandson," Sebastian said, reaching out to squeeze Kurt's hand. Kurt held on tight, even if his joints protested in pain. "Well, I spoke. She yelled. She saw how upset you got over the advertisement and wants me to try and find him for you. I told her that was your call to make, not hers, and she told me that if you said so, I better damn well find him." Sebastian's eyes were probing, darting between both of Kurt's as he asked, "Do you want me to find him, Kurt?"

The look in the wizard's eyes made Kurt want to cry all over again. There was a compassion and a concern that he never expected to see in regards to this man, and the mere sight of it was leaving him scared, overwhelmed, and - most of all - grateful. This relationship, friendship, hateship, whatever it was, was just so incredibly bizarre that Kurt rarely knew what to make of it half the time. It was new, and fragile, and tumultuous, and yet, here was Sebastian, offering to find Kurt his nonexistent grandson.

And yet, maybe it extended further than that. Perhaps Sebastian knew more than he let on and that this offer wasn't just about Kurt's grandson, but rather about Kurt himself. The idea made Kurt's throat get tight as he considered the offer, feeling hopeful in a way he knew he shouldn't have. Still, he found himself nodding.

"Yes," he whispered, "please."

Sebastian smiled slightly. "All right," he agreed, "I'll see what I can do." With a final squeeze, he let go of Kurt's hand and stood up. "Try and get some sleep. I'll wake you again for dinner in a little while." With a final smile, he pulled the curtain closed and left Kurt be. At first, Kurt feared that he wouldn't be able to sleep again, but after a moment or two, his lids got heavy once more and he surrendered helplessly to his dreams.


	6. In Which There is a Hangover

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, with a few special surprise ships that will be listed as they appear!

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 3,700+ for this chapter.

* * *

Kurt felt much better when he woke the next morning. Whatever remedies Sebastian had used to help soothe Kurt's aches and pains did the trick. Although he was a little stiff, all the soreness was gone. He also felt immensely well-rested and ready to tackle the list of tasks he'd drawn up for himself in his mind. On top of that, the weather out in Porthaven was gorgeous, which meant Kurt could visit with Blaine for a little bit down by the water over the course of the next few days. It all helped to lift his otherwise dismal mood.

It was as though the gravity of Kurt's situation had finally sunk in. He was an old man. He'd abandoned his father; his former lover no longer recognized him. All Kurt could do was dwell and curse the Witch of the Waste as each day went by. Sebastian's contract with Jesse was also proving to be a greater challenge than Kurt had anticipated, which was why he ignored Jesse's questions during the day and poured over that little book in his cubby at night while no one was looking.

Santana had begun adding regular trips into Kingsbury to their usual routine. Every other day, she would disappear with the red-side down and return late in the evening wearing a suspiciously self-satisfied grin. Kurt was much too cranky to ask what it was all about; if Santana had found a suitor, Kurt wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, he'd rather spit on the whole idea of love altogether.

Kurt was also reminded of how insufferable Sebastian truly was one night in the last few weeks of May. The wizard had gone out into Porthaven in the early evening, claiming to be making a house call. Hours later, when all the lamps had been put out and Kurt had washed and dressed for bed, the door was thrown open, blue-side down, and Sebastian stumbled into the castle, tripping over himself until he was simply forced to sit on the stairs in the entryway and gather his bearings.

"Jesse," Kurt started in a voice that clearly said Kurt was not meant to be trifled with, "light." Immediately, the fire blazed, burning quickly through his log and jumping up into the chimney. The room got warmer as Kurt hobbled over to the stairs and looked down at where Sebastian was sitting. Sebastian had his head resting against the railing, eyes closed. The cool evening breeze wafted in through the open door, smelling strongly of salt, and ruffled Sebastian's hair.

Scoffing, Kurt stretched his arm out and nudged the door closed with his fingertips. Sebastian stirred then. "Mmm," he hummed, lifting his head to smirk up at Kurt. "Hey, grandpa."

The word left Kurt suppressing a grimace. It was easier to pretend Santana wasn't calling him 'grandpa' with her nickname. Hearing it outright like this made Kurt want to strangle the wizard. Even if he was better suited as an old man, he didn't want to be reminded of it, and he certainly didn't want to be old forever.

"Come on," Kurt said instead, stepping down to take Sebastian's arm and heft him to his feet. "Let's go to bed."

"Cheek-y," Sebastian teased. "This may come as a shock to you, but I'm not ready to have sex with you yet."

The words made the tips of Kurt's ears get hot as he manhandled Sebastian into the main room of the castle and toward the stairs. "Good," Kurt said through his teeth. "I shudder to imagine what you look like naked."

For an awful moment, Kurt was terrified Sebastian would comment back with 'right back at you' or something along those lines. Thankfully, Sebastian just chose to grin as he mounted the first step. "But you saw me almost naked. Once."

"I was too busy being attacked by your hair," Kurt retorted and pushed Sebastian up the stairs. "Up."

Sebastian went willingly enough, clumping up the stairs with Kurt's hand on his back to steady him. They made it without much fuss to the landing and then to the door at the end of the hall. Sebastian leaned against the wall and looked out the window until Kurt managed to open the door. The sight inside surprised him.

Whatever he had been imagining Sebastian's room to look like paled in comparison to the real thing, but in a good way. Kurt had been imagining a mess far worse than any other room in the castle, with layers and layers of dust and a clutter so bad that Kurt wouldn't have been able to pick his way across the floor. While there was clutter, it seemed to be an organized kind of chaos that, if Kurt knew the method to the madness, would be easy enough to navigate. Not only were there books crammed into shelves lined all along the walls, but there were also books stacked all around in towers. Various mechanical objects were situated on the flat surfaces of the room, some moving back and forth of their own accord. His desk was a mess of papers and fountain pens leaking black ink. The bed was big and unmade, the sheets plain white with a deep green duvet and a matching gold throw with tassels all around the edges. There was a lamp on the bedside table, so Kurt switched it on and bathed the room in an orange glow.

There were paintings on the walls of things Kurt didn't quite understand: A tall, metal-looking tower made of criss-crossing beams, a grassy hill overlooking a boat on a river, and dark blue swirls to depict a night sky dotted with yellow circles for stars. On the opposite side of the room from the door was a wide window that was overlooking a courtyard surrounded by tall, tan-brick buildings. Kurt figured it was another spell, like the door, considering the castle was still moving among the hills of Market Chipping. It was nighttime there, too, so the courtyard was empty even though it was lit up by lamps on the buildings.

"Stop being so nosy," Sebastian complained, and Kurt realized belatedly that the wizard had begun to strip. He was working at the buckle of his belt when Kurt finally noticed, and Kurt immediately felt his face get hot. Instead of focusing on the belt, he clung to the feeling of annoyance that had begun to wane because Sebastian was being so cooperative. "I swear, absolutely nothing is sacred with you."

"If you weren't piss drunk, I wouldn't have had to come up here," Kurt retorted. He turned to the bed so he didn't have to look at Sebastian half-naked and began to fix up the sheets and blankets so Sebastian could lay down right away. "Do you think you can climb in without hurting yourself?"

Chuckling, Sebastian said, "I'll see what I can do."

Kurt was just heading for the door when Sebastian whined, "Kuuuurt."

"What is it?"

"I can't reach the lamp," Sebastian muttered around his pillow. His arm was outstretched, grazing the stem of the lamp but unable to reach the switch near the bulb.

Once more, Kurt rolled his eyes. "You're pathetic." He stepped inside and reached for the lamp when Sebastian's hand caught hold of his wrist. He stroked the loose, wrinkled skin with his thumb and looked up from where he was laying into Kurt's eyes.

"Your eyes are a really lovely color," he noted.

Kurt felt a blush rising again but for a completely different reason this time. "You're drunk."

"Drunk mind, sober heart," Sebastian slurred and rolled over.

Kurt ignored him and switched the light off. Thankfully, he didn't need to say anything; Sebastian remained still and quiet, breathing deeply, so he let himself out of the room and shut the door behind him.

When Kurt came back downstairs, Jesse was leaning out of the grate to see him. "Is he all right?" the demon asked.

"He's fine," Kurt said dismissively and selected a log to place in the grate. The room was still warm from how Jesse had blazed up. "He's just a little drunk. I'm sure he'll suffer more in the morning." Kurt sat in his cot but made no move to get under the blankets yet.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Jesse asked.

"Did you know Sebastian has a magic window in his room?" When Jesse just gave him a questioning look, Kurt went on to explain about how the window overlooked a courtyard even though the castle was still in the hills. Jesse flickered in the hearth.

"I didn't know, but I'm not surprised," the demon said. "Sebastian's very paranoid. The Witch of the Waste has been on his tail for about a year now, so he's probably got a bunch of windows watching all sorts of places."

"I see," Kurt said, frowning a little to himself as he finally climbed into bed. Jesse seemed to take that as the conversation ending and sank down under his logs to sleep. Kurt pulled the curtain closed and found himself staring at the ceiling of his cubby, thinking about the Witch of the Waste and feeling incredibly scared at the idea of having her catch up with Sebastian.

* * *

The next day, Sebastian was hungover and miserable, as was expected. He didn't seem to remember Kurt helping him into bed at all. He kept the gold throw over his head, his arms wrapped up in it, slouched against the table as Kurt made bacon and eggs for breakfast. As Kurt set a plate in front of Sebastian, the wizard said, "This is the worst I've ever felt," into the wood. He rolled his head to the side and looked up at Kurt miserably. "I fear this is it. I shall die."

"Don't be so dramatic," Kurt chastised. "Eat your food."

"Don't waste food on the dying," Sebastian moaned into the table.

Kurt ignored him and tossed the eggshells into the fire for Jesse to eat before joining him and Santana at the table. She broke the yolk of her egg and let it spread out over the plate, looking across the table at Sebastian speculatively, who was still grumbling to the surface.

"You're setting a bad example," Kurt scolded. "Sit up."

"You certainly like hearing yourself talk today, don't you?" Sebastian did sit up and selected a piece of bacon off the plate to eat. "What do I have to do to shut you up?"

Kurt ignored him and instead focused on eating his meal. He had plans to go down into Porthaven for some grocery shopping and visit with Blaine in the afternoon, and there was no way he was going to allow Sebastian to stop him from going through with them. He had little sympathy for the wizard and his hangover, especially considering Sebastian ended up eating his entire plate of food and mopping up the excess yolk with a piece of bread. He proceeded to moan and groan his way back upstairs, his voice echoing through the castle until the door shut upstairs.

"He's absolutely ridiculous," Kurt huffed.

"Welcome to my world," Santana said as she took the plates and carried them to the sink.

"Does he do this often?" Kurt asked as he collected his stick, basket, and money to go into town.

"This is the first time in a few weeks that he's gone out," Santana said. "He's been too busy trying to misdirect the Witch to go out like he usually does. I guess that means we're as safe as we can be."

Kurt's lips twisted. "I see. Well, I'm going into town; I'll be back. What do you want for dinner?"

"Maybe chicken," Santana suggested and then turned to look at Kurt. "If I'm not here when you get back, it's because I went into Kingsbury again."

Kurt's eyebrows rose high. "Again? Santana, that's the fourth time this week."

Her expression hardened. Kurt recognized the sight of her closing up to him because he did it so often to other people. "What do you care?" she snapped. "You're not my dad, so you don't get to tell me what to do. If I want to go into Kingsbury, I'm going into Kingsbury."

"Okay," Kurt relented, and Santana seemed to relax once he backed off. "Enjoy yourself." When she didn't respond or look up, Kurt stepped out onto the street of Porthaven and closed the castle door behind him.

The weather was warm and fair as Kurt left the castle and stumped down to the main street along the bay. He perused which stands had the best deals, not yet buying anything. Carting around all the food in this heat sounded like a nightmare to Kurt, so he'd just wait until he was ready to return to the castle to make his purchases.

Farther ahead, perched on the stone wall and staring at the sea, was Blaine. His curls were loose today, the wind ruffling them, and Kurt wanted to just stand there and stare for a long while. Eventually, he hobbled over. As soon as Blaine caught sight of him, Kurt was greeted with a wide smile and a, "Good afternoon, Mr. Smythe."

"Child, how many times do I need to tell you to call me Elijah?"

Blaine smiled sheepishly, though once it faded, Kurt noticed Blaine looked a little sad. "Is something the matter?" Kurt asked. He set his basket down on the wall and leaned beside it.

Blaine shrugged. "Sort of. I…" He trailed off and shut his eyes. "I heard that a friend of mine recently went missing."

Kurt's blood ran cold. He hoped he sounded as naturally surprised and concerned as he possibly could. "Oh, my! That's awful!"

"Yeah," Blaine said, staring out over the water. All Kurt could think about was how many people he was hurting by disappearing without a word, but he couldn't let anyone see him like this. He needed to return to being young again - and soon.

Things were silent until Blaine broke it again. "It just worries me. First Prince Finley, then Wizard Evans, and now Kurt. Are other people going missing, too?"

Kurt could think of nothing else to say, so he just reached out to pat Blaine's hand. "Don't worry about that which you can't control, child," Kurt soothed. "We don't have to talk about this if it upsets you." _It's upsetting me_, Kurt thought, but out loud, he continued, "Tell me what's new. How is your hunt for an apprenticeship going?"

At that, Blaine's smile became genuine. "I've received a few letters from wizards in the royal court," he said. "They say Wizard Smythe gave them my name. I've yet to meet any of them, but they all seem very nice." He laughed, embarrassed, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I keep hoping your son will take me on.

That made Kurt snort. "He's so irresponsible," Kurt stated. "He forgets he has one apprentice as it stands. I'm sure there are far wiser, far more organized teachers in Kingsbury you can learn from."

But even as he said the words, all Kurt could think about was how compassionate Sebastian could be, how he could do so many nice things in spite of how he presented himself to other people. After all, Blaine had just said that it was Sebastian who had given names to his colleagues, just as he promised, and there was no way Kurt could forget all of the nice things Sebastian had done for him since he'd arrived in the castle on top of the fact he undercharged the poor sailors and shop keepers there in Porthaven. Sebastian may have been a self-indulgent personizer, but he wasn't as heartless as Jesse kept saying. It all left Kurt feeling very confused.

"Mr. Smythe?"

Kurt blinked and saw Blaine was looking at him with wide eyes and a hopeful expression, the kind Kurt himself might have used on his on mother when asking for a cake from Cesari's or a new pair of shoes. "I'm sorry; I was miles away," Kurt apologized. "What was that you said?"

"I said, you're magical. I understand you're retired, but might you consider taking on one last student?"

At that, Kurt began to laugh. It sounded so absurd that Kurt could think of no other way to react. "My boy," Kurt wheezed, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not the slightest bit magical."

Blaine laughed as well, though he sounded more confused. "There's no need to be modest," he insisted. "Wizard Smythe must get it from somewhere. I can see you have great power, and I'm untrained. I daresay you're as powerful as your son."

This certainly was news to Kurt. Never once had he imagined himself to be magical. He'd always been Kurt - just Kurt, and nothing more. He was Burt Hummel's son, he was a repair shop apprentice, he was a cleaning man, and now, he was _papi_, but he _wasn't_ a sorcerer.

He thanked Blaine for his company, made his grocery purchases, and trekked back up to the castle. Inside, Sebastian was moaning and groaning on the couch, which had been dragged over in front of the fire.

"Don't believe him," Jesse warned. "He's only just started this up again."

"Traitor," Sebastian hissed.

"Am I magical?" Kurt asked once he'd made it up the stairs.

Both wizard and demon turned to give Kurt a look that clearly questioned his sanity. Jesse spoke first, saying, "What a stupid question."

"Is it stupid because the answer's yes, or because the answer's no?"

"Yes," Sebastian said grandly, pushing himself into a sitting position with the gold throw still draped around his shoulders. "You're magic. You have this impeccable ability of causing pain to ears and brains just by opening your mouth and speaking. It's unlike anything I've ever seen."

Kurt was nonplussed. "You're in rare form this afternoon."

"Thank you," Sebastian said and sank down onto the couch again.

Turning back to Jesse, Kurt approached the raised hearth and leaned his hands upon the warm stone. "I was speaking with Blaine down by the harbor, and he told me that even his untrained eye could see that I was magic. He said that I was nearly as powerful as Sebastian."

"That's utter horse shit!" Sebastian mumbled into the cushion he'd face-planted into.

"Quiet, you," Kurt snapped and turned back to Jesse. "Well?"

The fire flickered uneasily. "Well, yes, but I thought you knew."

Slowly, Kurt sank into his chair beside the fire and rested his hands on top of his cane. "I… but… how can you tell?"

Once more, Sebastian sat up and this time scrubbed a hand over his face. "It's not as much of a sight as it is a feeling. Do you ever get the feeling that the tips of your fingers are tingling whenever you're around someone who's magical? Or like your scalp is prickling? It's different for everyone. An intuition. And you've had my scalp prickling ever since I -" He faltered for a moment, his eyes flashing to Jesse in the hearth before he finished: "- saw you here in the castle on that first day. That ugly stick may as well be a magic wand, you've talked so much life into it."

Kurt frowned and thought back to the first time he'd met Sebastian in the alley, how his entire body had felt like a live wire, and the way his skin had risen with goosebumps when the Witch appeared in his repair shop and how he'd been so sure that she had been a witch even before she cast her damnable spell. He thought about how his mother had been the most favored lady at her parties and the most beloved teacher until her death after he'd mended her clothes, murmuring to the seams as he did so. Had that been a result of a charm?

Instead of responding, Kurt just hummed, "Hmm."

"Are you finished asking your completely asinine questions?" Sebastian asked.

"Are you finished being a completely insufferable ass?" Kurt retorted and was pleased when he got no response. He shoved himself up from his chair and tottered over to his basket to begin putting the groceries away and preparing dinner. As he began to make a big pot of chicken soup, Kurt wondered how he felt about the fact that he was, in fact, magical. He found that he wasn't too bothered by it, though it did make him wonder if it would make getting the spell off him easier or more difficult. He made a mental note to ask Jesse about it when Sebastian wasn't around.

Luckily, that was sooner than Kurt had anticipated. After eating the soup, Sebastian stood up and made a big show of moaning and groaning his way up the stairs for the second time that day. "He likes the attention," Jesse noted as the door upstairs closed, and Kurt began cleaning up the dishes. Santana didn't return while he was washing, nor did she appear a few minutes after he finished, so Kurt took his seat in front of the fire and faced Jesse. The fire quirked a flaming green eyebrow as Kurt leaned forward.

"I have a few questions."

"All right…"

"My spell," Kurt said, the words tasting foreign on his tongue. Not being able to speak about it to most people made him feel strange when he was able to do so with Jesse. "Do you think being magical makes it more difficult to get off?"

Jesse let out a breath that caused him to blow a smoke ring. Kurt waved it away as the demon said, "I think the spell is difficult regardless. It's got quite a few layers; a layer that actually makes you old, a layer that makes it stick, a layer that won't let you tell anyone… It's very strong magic, definitely a mark of the Witch of the Waste, but I don't think it's stronger or weaker depending on your magic."

"Do you think I could remove it myself?"

Jesse flickered to the left and then to the right. "No. I don't think so." When he saw Kurt's shoulders slump in defeat, he added, "Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, you're in good company." He smiled and showed off those tiny, flaming green teeth.

Kurt was not reassured at all.


	7. In Which Kurt Celebrates a Birthday

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, Blaine/OMC.

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 4,000+ for this chapter.

* * *

Sebastian returned back to his normal spirits the day after his hangover. Whatever had possessed him to behave so childishly seemed to disappear, and he was back to his normally rude and flippant self. Santana's return from Kingsbury late that night also put her in a good mood; although Kurt wanted to question her about it, he refrained, too fearful of how she'd respond if he ended up asking too many questions.

The closer they got to the end of May, the more Kurt began to become hyperaware of the fact that his birthday was rapidly approaching. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. Usually, birthdays were an excuse to bring the family together, celebrate how grateful they were for one another, eat cake, and be reminded of how thankful the people in his life were that Kurt had been born. But this year was different for many reasons, the two most important being that he didn't look as though he was only turning nineteen, and both of the pivotal players in his usual birthday get-togethers wouldn't be around this year. The thoughts only served to depress Kurt.

He tried to lift his spirits as much as possible by spending time with Blaine. It worked for the most part, but on the day before he needed it most, their pleasant companionship was shattered with the words, "I've found someone I like."

Although Kurt was somewhat glad Blaine was comfortable enough to divulge this information with Elijah, he felt his entire body get cold; it was almost like he'd gone completely numb, and he was struggling to regain feeling or cognitive thought. Because Blaine liked someone else.

Kurt's ability to act must have been much better than he thought it was, because Blaine didn't even react when Kurt's voice trembled as he asked, "Oh? This is news to me."

"Yeah," Blaine said with a slight smile. "It was… really unexpected. And I… I know this might change the way you think about me, but I really need your help. This person isn't ordinary, you see, and… I can't help with their condition."

Kurt swallowed down the bile rising in his throat and fidgeted where he was sitting. "And you think that I can?"

Blaine nodded mutely. "Will you meet me tomorrow to take a look?"

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, May 27th, Kurt's birthday, Blaine wanted him to meet whomever this new guy in his life was in order to cure him of whatever ailment he had. Blaine wanted Kurt to spend his birthday, a day that had once been so happy for him, helping his ex-lover's new lover. The thought made him want to crawl into his cot and not be bothered for weeks. Maybe he'd be fortunate enough to die there. It'd be easier and more humane than living this charade for another moment more.

But for some stupid reason, Kurt took one look at those hazel eyes, silently imploring him, and all he could say was, "What time?"

It was like he had no choice but to go along with it, too; when he arrived back at the castle, Santana was lurking. Once he stepped through the door, she asked, "Are you going to see Blaine again tomorrow?"

"Yes," Kurt said, dismally. She didn't seem to catch his mood.

"Excellent." She paused, and then added, "Sebastian and I are doing a pretty big spell, and it's gonna take a good chunk of the afternoon and all the space in this main room, so you can't be here."

"Then it's a good thing I'll be with Blaine, isn't it?" Kurt snapped. He was irritable again.

Santana didn't notice. "Yeah. Sure is!"

The next morning, Kurt awoke feeling even worse than he had the night before. He cleaned his teeth and face in the bathroom. Even though he knew it was useless, Kurt stood in front of the mirror for ten extra minutes mumbling to himself, hoping and praying his random incantations would help turn him back into a young man. Needless to say, they didn't work.

Sebastian was already awake and ready for the day by the time Kurt shuffled downstairs and sat at the table to spoon some oatmeal into his mouth. He barely tasted his food and didn't even acknowledge Sebastian until the wizard sat down heavily beside Kurt and said, "All right, Kurt. What's the matter?"

"Why does something always have to be the matter?" Kurt snapped. "Why can't I just want to brood?"

"Because you've been perfectly pleasant and quiet until yesterday afternoon," Sebastian pointed out, sprinkling what looked like cinnamon into his oatmeal. "And now you're acting as though I came home drunk again. Brooding is one thing, but you're nearly belligerent."

"What the hell are you talking about? I've barely said two words to anyone!"

"And I can practically taste acid every time you open your mouth," Sebastian retorted. "Now what's going on?"

"Nothing!" Kurt practically yelled, grabbed his still-full bowl, and carried it over to the sink. He dumped it out and didn't bother washing before plopping right down in front of the fire with a book. "Just let me know when I can leave."

Over the top of his book, Kurt could see Jesse had flared up and was nodding and shaking his head to Sebastian over Kurt's shoulder. He was so crotchety that he bit out, "Knock it off. I'm sitting right in front of you, for God's sake," which caused Jesse to sink down among the logs and hide there for the remainder of the morning.

Santana eventually joined them, oblivious to the tension the room, before heading out to Kingsbury like she had every other morning. Kurt read stoically, even when he heard Sebastian moving about behind him.

Kurt only looked up again when Sebastian was standing over him, looking genuinely dismayed. "Tell me what's the matter," Sebastian demanded. "Or at least tell me if I've done something to offend you."

"Not everything revolves around you, as much as you'd like it to," Kurt snorted and turned back to his book.

Sebastian grabbed the novel and yanked it from Kurt's grasp, once more claiming Kurt's full attention. "I can't fix whatever it is I did if you don't tell me what I've done wrong," the wizard insisted. Kurt could see that he was being genuine, which softened up his irritation just a little bit. As much as Sebastian could frustrate him, he didn't want the wizard to worry about things he didn't need to. "Going back and forth because we can is one thing, and having you down my throat for a real reason is another, but you going off on me just because you're upset is a completely different realm. If you're upset, fine, but don't let me or Santana or Jesse become your punching bag without a good reason. You lose people that way."

For a moment, all Kurt could do was stare. Although Sebastian was fired up, he wasn't yelling. He was insistent and maybe even a little bit desperate, which surprised Kurt. There was concern and confusion, and most of all, there was hurt. His eyes looked warmer and more real than Kurt had ever seen, and he knew that Sebastian was speaking from experience, and it was one the wizard didn't want to repeat.

So he sighed and set his hands upon his knees. "It's not you."

Nodding, Sebastian handed the novel back and said, "All right." He was about to step away, but he thought better of it and turned back to Kurt. This time, he looked more relaxed and was wearing his usual smirk. "If you're going to abuse anyone, though, let it be Jesse."

"I prefer Jesse, actually," Kurt said, also relaxing now that some of the tension had diffused. "He can't run away from those who want to confront him."

"Hey!" Jesse protested.

Sebastian let out a laugh, loud and genuine, with his thrown back and his neck one long, smooth line as he moved about the room. "Very good point, Mr. Grouch. Very good point."

Kurt was left in peace for the rest of the afternoon while Sebastian gathered together lists and books and double-checked to see if he had whatever ingredients he needed for the spell. Santana returned just after they ate a lunch of cold soup with enormous bags of supplies clutched in her hands. "Okay, Kurt," Sebastian said after he'd gone upstairs with her to make sure she had everything they needed. "You need to go now."

"It's just as well," Kurt sighed. "I'm meeting Blaine soon, anyway."

Outside, it was cooler than normal, even though it was nearly June. The breeze coming off of the sea probably had something to do with it; it was light and pleasant and tugged playfully at Kurt's cardigan sleeves as he hobbled down the hill and onto the main road. Blaine was waiting on the wall, where they usually met, and Kurt felt simultaneously happy and sad to see him. As much as he wanted to go back to what he and Blaine had, he knew he was clinging to something hopeless. Their time together had been finished after Blaine left Market Chipping and Kurt had resigned himself to stay behind. Their paths had diverged, and even if they were together again for now, it wasn't the same. It never would be. Deep down, Kurt had accepted that, but he was clinging to some hope when he felt as if he had none otherwise.

Needless to say, he felt much more peaceful and a little less irritated as he stopped beside the wall. Any lingering irritations had to do with his birthday, and that was nobody's fault - not even his own. He smiled at Blaine and adjusted his grip on his walking stick. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon." Blaine slipped down and smiled nervously. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm all right," Kurt said honestly. "Shall we go see your new love interest?"

Blaine's face got pink in a way Kurt had never seen before, and he was suddenly glad for his friend and his newfound happiness. "Sure. This way. It's a bit of a walk; I apologize in advance, but my friend's a bit shy."

"That's fine," Kurt said and began to hobble along beside his younger companion. "The exercise does me good."

They walked and walked and walked, past the lines of docks, past the shops, past the houses, until the road faded into a dirt one and led outward to the Porthaven marshes. Kurt was huffing a little bit as they went, though he wasn't any pain; he was just hot and a little bit tired.

"I'm so sorry, Elijah," Blaine kept saying. "It seems much shorter on my own. We're almost there, I promise."

They reached an abandoned cabin on the edge of the marshes. Kurt tested the ground with his stick while Blaine clumped bravely ahead through the damp grass, disappearing inside, most likely to consult his friend. Kurt huffed and puffed until he managed to get himself up the stairs and to the door. When he pushed it open, he was very surprised to see that it was empty, apart from where Blaine was kneeling on the floor and rubbing the ears of a golden labrador.

"Elijah," Blaine started and rose to his feet, pointing his hand in the direction of the dog, as if presenting him. "This is Percival."

A few seconds ticked by until Kurt's brain caught up with what he was saying. Blaine's person _wasn't_ a person. It was a _dog_.

"Oh my god," Kurt said and took a shaky step back.

"Let me explain," Blaine hurried on, sensing where Kurt's mind was going. "This is Percival, and he's been put under a terrible spell." He glanced back at the dog and said, softly, "Can you show him?"

The dog whined but padded a few steps away. Then, he jumped up until he was hunched at an awkward angle, standing on his back legs with his front ones extended. Then, with a great heave upward, he transformed into a very shaggy, odd-looking man. Kurt recognized him immediately. "You're the man who showed up at my shop with the Witch of the Waste!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Yes," Percival said through his teeth. It was clearly taking him great effort to remain upright. He was shaking and trembling all over, even with Blaine supporting his arm. "You - After she - I told her it wasn't - and she turned me -" He gave a howl and almost fell forward again but straightened up at the last minute. "Trapped in the bush - you set me free! I -" This time, Percival couldn't stop it, and he collapsed forward onto all fours, this time in the shape of a fuzzy dog with brilliant blue eyes. He stared up at Kurt pathetically and whined, tail wagging slowly to and fro.

"You're the dog I rescued on the road outside Sebastian's castle," Kurt breathed, and Percival's ears perked up. He barked his approval. "The Witch of the Waste did this to you?"

Percival's ears went back again, and he whined in confirmation.

"Sebastian's castle?" Blaine queried. "Your son has a castle?"

Kurt ignored him and instead stepped closer toward the dog. He didn't move away; in fact, his tail thumped heavily on the floor as Kurt began to rub his ears. He turned the dog's head this way and that to get a better look. There was a subtle shine to the dog's pelt that made Kurt's scalp prickle, reminding him of his natural intuition toward magic. He could also tell that this spell was complex, just as complex as Kurt's, and it left Kurt feeling rather mystified.

"This is very strong magic," Kurt said gravely and hobbled toward the rickety wooden table and chairs inside the cabin to sit down. Everything was covered in a layer of dust, but with the mud and water already staining his trousers, Kurt didn't mind as much as he normally would. Blaine followed; Percival rested his head on Blaine's knee and looked tiredly between the both of them as they spoke. "The Witch of the Waste is no woman to be trifled with; it will be very difficult to eradicate this spell."

"But can you do it?" Blaine asked, desperation clear in his voice.

Kurt sighed. "I don't know. I've not had much practice lately; I'll have to ask Sebastian." He looked down at the dog. "Would that be all right? If you came back to the shop and let Sebastian have a look at you?"

The dog lifted his head off of Blaine's knee to nod and promptly set it down again.

Kurt felt bad there wasn't more he could do, but that seemed to be a good enough start. Blaine, at least, seemed appeased that some sort of action might be taken in Percival's favor. Still not quite ready to make that trek all the way back, though, Kurt instead folded his hands over his stomach and asked, "How did you two even meet?"

The dog snorted softly while Blaine gave one of his embarrassed laughs. "He's been lurking around the newspaper stand for a few weeks now. I suppose he found me trustworthy, because he stole my coin purse right off my belt. I gave chase, followed him here to the marshes, but instead of a dog I found that scruffy, handsome man. He told me of his troubles, and I agreed to help him. He's a wonderful listener, and whenever he got the strength, he'd change into a man and talk to me for a while." Blaine glanced down and caressed Percival's head in a way that was more intimate than Kurt cared to admit, so he focused on Blaine's face instead. "Normally he can last longer than that, but we just spoke again yesterday. I suppose his strength's not yet returned."

Blaine frowned at that and looked up again at Kurt. "Elijah, Percival's having more and more trouble maintaining his shape as a man, and we're both fearful that if the spell isn't broken soon, he won't be able to change back at all."

"Well, as much as I hate to suggest this, perhaps Percival should remain a dog for the time being. No more chats, no more shapeshifting - just stay as a dog and save your strength. That way you don't have to worry about him not changing back one day. In the meantime, Sebastian and I will try to find a way to make him normal again. I myself am -" The words 'under a spell' got caught in Kurt's throat suddenly, and he felt as though he was suffocating. He opened his mouth, and nothing came out.

"Elijah?" Blaine questioned.

"Sorry," Kurt said, catching his breath now that those words weren't on the tip of his tongue. "I meant to say, I'm familiar with one of Sebastian's customers. He's also under a spell, and we've been working to break it, but it's… difficult."

"Trying is better than nothing at all," Blaine sighed. "Right, Percival?"

The dog nudged Blaine's hand affectionately.

Smiling, Blaine looked up again. "Shall we head back? It'll be right about supper time by the time we finish the hike."

"Certainly," Kurt said and began to stand up. Blaine hurried to help Kurt to his feet.

"Elijah?"

"Yes, child?"

Blaine hesitated, which caught Kurt's attention, and then asked, "You don't mind that I like another man?"

Kurt gave him smile and reached for the door. "Of course not," he said, "for I'm similarly afflicted. I'm absolutely, hopelessly attracted to the good looks of men."

That earned a bright, happy laugh from Blaine. "I had a feeling."

The three of them waded through the marsh, back onto the dirt road, and began trekking back into Porthaven. The sun was setting over the sea, painting the water pink and red and orange. Blaine broke through Kurt's reverie by asking, "What did you mean by saying your son had a castle?"

Kurt couldn't see the harm in specifying the truth and began to elaborate on the castle and its magical door and all the colored splotches that led to different places, pointedly avoiding discussion of the black blob. Blaine was quite satisfied with the information Kurt did give, dreamily saying as they arrived at the bottom of the hill, "I hope he takes me on as an apprentice."

Once at the door of the shop, Blaine smiled widely at Kurt. "Thank you so much for your help, Elijah," Blaine said. "I owe you a true debt of gratitude. Percival and I both do." He glanced down at the dog. "Do you mind if I come by to see him?"

"No, of course not," Kurt assured him. "Come by as often as you like. He'll need a lot of exercise, and I'm certainly not the person to do it."

Blaine agreed to come by once a day to see Percival before jogging down the street. Once he was out of sight, Kurt turned the knob and opened the door, allowing the dog in first. Kurt followed up the stairs and was greeted by the sight of a sloppily made banner hung from the rafters that read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KURT! A beautiful cake was sitting on the table, lit candles stuck on top, with a small pile of parcels on the on the opposite end. There was also a steaming pot pie on a cloth towel to keep it from damaging the table top.

"Surprise!" Sebastian, Santana, and Jesse chorused.

The dog bounded over to Sebastian and jumped enough to brace his paws against Sebastian's stomach. "Well, well," he said and rubbed the dog's ears. "That's quite a difficult spell. You poor unfortunate souls just flock to me, don't you?"

"What is all this?" Kurt breathed, eyes darting between the banner, the cake, the pot pie, and the gifts.

"It's your birthday, duh," Santana stated. "We kicked you out so we could throw you a party."

That urge to cry returned, but this time for good reasons. He felt warm from the inside out, his heart thrumming with happiness, and and all he could do was hobble across the room to draw both wizard and apprentice into a hug. Although they both resisted at first, they eventually wrapped their arms around him and held him so tight he felt he might burst.

"Thank you," he said as he pulled away, beaming at them both before turning to look at the table. "How did you know? I haven't told anyone!"

"Sebastian figured it out," Jesse said from the hearth. "I'd ask for a hug myself, but you absolutely reek."

"Blaine took me to the marshes to introduce me to Percival," Kurt said and gestured to the dog. "He's under a spell."

"I can see that," Sebastian said, getting down to eye the dog. "Go upstairs and clean up; we'll split the pie once you're done."

Kurt felt as light as air as he floated up the stairs and into the bathroom. He scrubbed himself clean as quickly as he could, put on a fresh pair of clothes he'd left laying over the side of the tub, and paused to check his reflection in the mirror. He was surprised to see he looked a little younger; he was standing up straighter, his face looked less wrinkled, and his hair seemed to be crawling back toward the crown of his head. It left Kurt practically skipping back down the stairs.

He saw Percival was a man again, trembling violently near the hearth. Just as Kurt made it to the floor, he hunched over into a dog, this time as a black and white collie. "What are you doing?" he demanded, voice high with worry. "He can't keep changing back, Sebastian! One of these days, he might not turn back into a human at all!"

"Relax," Sebastian said, rubbing the dog's ears. "He didn't do it; I did, just to see if I could. Even if he can't change himself into a man again, the spell's not impossible and with a little bit of time and some work, I think I'll be able to crack it easily enough. Don't worry yourself. Percival will be fine."

"Did he say anything to you?" Kurt asked as Santana began to scoop spoonfuls of the pot pie out into bowls.

"He told me he didn't remember anything of his life before he came to be with the Witch. He's not even certain if Percival's his real name; it's just what she used to call him before he was turned into a dog," Sebastian admitted, setting one of the bowls on the floor for Percival to eat from before carrying another to the grate for Jesse. Kurt was served next (a simple chicken pot pie that smelled absolutely divine), followed by Santana, until Sebastian himself was shoveling a spoonful of food into his mouth. "It's rather sad."

"Indeed," Kurt agreed. _I empathize with him strongly_, he added in his mind, unable to say the words aloud, but the way Sebastian was staring at him suggested that the wizard knew just what Kurt was thinking.

They were just finishing with dinner and about to cut the cake when there was a booming knock at the door.

"Kingsbury door," Jesse announced.

"At this hour?" Sebastian muttered and pushed himself up to answer it. Both Kurt and Santana leaned over in their chairs, struggling to get a look at the visitor past the door, but Sebastian had it open at such an angle that it obscured whomever it happened to be. When Sebastian shut the door, there was a scroll in his hand, and he looked paler than Kurt had ever seen him.

"Who was it?" Santana demanded.

Sebastian sat at the table and set the scroll down beside his empty bowl. The dog whined uneasily. Just as Kurt opened his mouth to reiterate Santana's question, Sebastian blinked and glanced between the both of them. "A footman of King Arthur," he said. "He's officially summoning me as the new Royal Wizard of Ingary."


	8. In Which Kurt Gets a Bit Nosy

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, Blaine/OMC, Pezberry.

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 3,700+ for this chapter.

* * *

"What?" Santana demanded. "Royal Wizard?" She snatched the scroll off the table and began to unroll it.

"Is it mandatory?" Kurt asked.

"The footman didn't explicitly say," Sebastian said slowly, "but it was implied, yes."

Santana began to read aloud: "'You have been formally appointed as the official Royal Wizard of the realm of Ingary until Samuel Evans is found and returned. Your duties as such will begin immediately after this has been formalized.' Sebastian, nothing's in stone yet."

"We'll have to move the castle," Sebastian said decisively. "Get as far away from here as we can and see if someone else can go and locate the prince and Sam."

"What?" Santana said, sounding completely outraged. "_What?_ You mean, like, the _Kingsbury_ door?"

"I mean all the doors, apart from the black one," Sebastian said calmly.

"No way!" Santana jerked up out of her seat, her voice rising with anger. She sounded genuinely distressed. "We can't leave Kingsbury! I'm not letting you run away again; there's got to be another way to do this!"

Kurt stood up at that, sensing that Sebastian was ready to pounce on his apprentice if he had to. The dog had slunk away to the corner, whining anxiously. "Let's just calm down for a second," he said, hoping his voice was as soothing as he wanted it to be. "We're not moving anywhere just yet. Sebastian, is there any other way you could get out of doing this for the King?"

"Maybe if someone went and blackened my name." He rolled his eyes to glare at Santana. "She'd do the best job, of course, but it'd be impossible for an apprentice to get an appointment with him on such short notice." Sebastian was quiet, leaning back in his chair and thinking. Then, he jerked up, eyes widening. "But maybe my old father could get an audience."

All four individuals in the castle turned to look at Kurt.

"Blackening your name?" he said. "That sounds like child's play."

"You would say that," Sebastian grumbled. Louder, he added, "I'll visit the castle tomorrow to discuss when we can draw up paperwork and tell the King you'd like an audience. I'm sure he wouldn't say no to my poor, frail old father."

Kurt snorted. "I'm not frail."

"I'm just saying that you can go to the King sometime this week and blacken up my name," Sebastian said. "Are you okay with going?"

"If it means no one's going to murder anyone else, then yes, I'll do it," Kurt sighed.

Sebastian sprang up, completely lively and in the best spirits one could be in now that things were going his way and he was slithering out of working with the king. "Perfect. I'll head to the palace tomorrow and get you an appointment." His grin widened. "Your gifts are certainly going to come in handy now."

Perplexed, Kurt asked, "What do you mean?" And with that, they all settled around the hearth. The tension in the room seemed to dissipate a little bit now that talk of moving was no longer happening. Kurt opened all of his parcels to reveal a new pair of black and white saddle shoes, a new pair of trousers, a few crisp shirts, a new cardigan, and a brand new velvet suit, deep red in color. It was all lovelier and finer than anything Kurt had ever owned before in his life.

"Thank you all so much," he whispered. "Thank you for such an amazing birthday."

"Yeah, well," Sebastian said, glancing down almost bashfully, "without you, the castle would still be an absolute mess."

They cleaned up the rest of the food, re-boxing the cake and putting it in the icebox for another day. While Santana washed the dishes, Kurt stowed his belongings in a small chest she had dragged down from upstairs before sliding it back under his cot. He climbed into bed and read through the little journal he still had under his mattress. That was how he fell asleep, with the book laying on his chest and a smile on his face.

* * *

Sebastian left the castle long before Kurt even got out of bed the next day, and by the time Kurt had finished his breakfast, Santana ran down the stairs in a pretty purple dress to shove some food into her mouth. "Are you off into Kingsbury as well?" Kurt inquired, exasperated.

Santana nodded, swallowed, and said, "Secret business. I wouldn't expect you to understand." Then she was jumping down the stairs and out the door.

Without hesitating, Kurt got out of his chair by the fire and went into the coat closet to yank out one of the red velvet cloaks. Kurt had discovered them while he'd been cleaning; sure enough, when he put the hood up and then looked in the mirror, he had the appearance of a large man with a ginger beard. The dog barked in surprise, but Kurt said, "It's just me, Percival; relax." To Jesse, he added, "I want to see what Santana's up to. I shouldn't be long."

As Kurt headed for the door, Jesse called, "Break my contract soon so I can leave, too!"

The streets of Kingsbury were even more impressive by the light of the day. The buildings were tall and practically glowing; each and everyone looked as though it was made of gold. Cars drove by in the streets, along with lavish carriages pulled by beautiful horses. The people were equally as beautiful, their clothes made of the finest materials and brightly colored. Rachel hadn't been lying when she wrote about the fashion of Kingsbury; Kurt was turning a bit green with envy over the sight of some of those hats.

At first, he thought he'd maybe already lost Santana even though she'd just left, when he saw a flash of her purple dress as she rounded a corner at the very end of the street. Kurt hurried after her, practically jogging, until he turned the corner and saw her walking along the bustling street up ahead. He followed at a decent distance, though she never once turned around. The buildings on this street seemed to be luxurious in the extreme, enormous and white with crisp green lawns and fences to separate one from the others. Kurt wondered where in the world Santana was going when he saw he saw her turn and go down one of the narrow walkways around the back of a brick house up ahead.

It was still as grandiose as the others, with a stone walkway to the front door and white pillars along the front terrace. Kurt inched along the side street along the house, where the car was meant to go, his heart thumping a little unevenly as he saw Santana enter through the back gate and hurry across the yard to the terrace. There was a young woman standing on there, waiting. Kurt couldn't see her face from the distance, but he could see her long brown hair, her pretty blue dress, and her thousand-watt smile as Santana ran up and gave her a hug. They stood like that for a few moments before Santana took the girl's hand and led her across the yard toward a small grove of trees that seemed to be the epicenter of a group of the other houses.

No one was looking, so Kurt let himself in through the gate. He paused only when he saw how thin the trees were, so he slipped his cloak over his shoulders and held it in his hands. "All right, cloak," he muttered to it. "I know you're meant to just be a disguise, but starting right now, you're going to hide whoever wears you. Whoever looks upon you just sees right through you and the wearer, like you aren't even there at all." For good measure, he repeated himself and then slung the cloak over his shoulders again. He wasn't all that certain it would work, but with a deep breath, Kurt marched across the yard toward where Santana and the girl were walking aimlessly among the trees.

When Kurt got close enough to hear, he knew instantly Santana was talking about the castle moving. Although the other girl's back was to him, he heard her say, "You're not leaving, are you?"

Kurt would recognize that voice anywhere. Although his enchantment on the cloak seemed to work, he had to clap his hand over his mouth to stifle his yell of surprise. Carefully, he creeped around through the trees until he could see their faces, and sure enough, Rachel was looking up into Santana's face with wide, concerned eyes.

The two stopped walking. Santana took Rachel's other hand in her own and held tight, her expression becoming determined. "No," Santana said firmly. "I'm not leaving, I promise." Her expression, usually so hard and sarcastic, smoothed out into something soft and genuine, and Kurt knew in an instant that she was in love. It was only confirmed by her following words: "I couldn't leave you even if I wanted to. I love you."

"I love you, too," Rachel whispered back.

"Don't worry, okay? Kurt's going to go to the King and blacken Sebastian's name, and we won't have to go anywhere."

"Okay," Rachel responded and smiled widely. Just as she leaned up on her toes for a kiss, Kurt turned and hurried back the way he'd come. Only when he was back on that narrow street, away from prying eyes, did he unlash his cloak and drape it over his arm.

He made it back to the main street and started to walk home, but he realized the further he walked, the busier the city was getting. Eventually, he made it to a wide, cobbled square with a round fountain in the middle. Beautiful ladies in their lovely sundresses sat on the lip of it and basked in the sunlight, surrounded by gentleman in suits and uniforms, the light catching on the water and creating rainbows in the air. Kurt was awe-struck at how beautiful Kingsbury was, and he knew, without a doubt, that this was where he'd been praying his fortune would lead him.

Unfortunately, he was also very lost, starting to swelter in the heat, so he picked a direction and just began to walk in hopes that it would lead him the right way.

"Kurt!"

He stopped and turned to see Sebastian, looking cool and collected in his sparkling silver suit, jogging across the square. The wizard smiled, big and white, when he got close enough, and stopped only when he was at Kurt's side. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was walking," Kurt lied breezily. "I've never seen Kingsbury. I just got a little bit turned around, is all."

"Mhm," Sebastian agreed, picking the cloak up off of Kurt's arm and examining it. "And you've enchanted my disguising cloak to be an invisibility cloak for what reason, exactly?"

Kurt huffed and snatched the cloak back, spouting the first excuse that came into his head. "You try walking around a city full of such beautiful people looking as old as I do and tell me you wouldn't much rather look like a burly ginger man," he snapped. He turned and began to walk again, realizing the idea did sadden him. He wanted to be able to walk around Kingsbury in his fine velvet suit with his hair done in his favorite coif style, looking just as young and happy as the other people on the streets.

"You're still going the wrong way," Sebastian said, taking Kurt's arm and steering him in another direction. He sounded amused. "And that would have made me feel bad, but it still doesn't explain why you made the cloak _invisible_."

Pursing his lips, Kurt tried to fight his embarrassed smile over getting caught. "All right, all right! I followed Santana this morning. She spends so much time out here in Kingsbury that I wanted to know what the big deal was."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

A quick glance upward told Kurt that Sebastian's face was carefully blank. "Yes," Kurt said. "She's seeing a young girl named Rachel."

"Does that bother you?"

Kurt sighed, exasperated. "No. Why should it bother me? I like other men." When he glanced up again, he saw this time that Sebastian was looking at him with an unfathomable expression, like Kurt had just presented him with a very difficult puzzle and solving it was proving to be harder than he'd anticipated.

"What?" Kurt asked after a long moment.

"Nothing," Sebastian relented and looked forward again. "So, I spoke with the King, and he agreed to see you tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like I'll be seeing the King," Kurt responded, feeling sweat beginning to bead on the back of his neck and on the top of his head. "How do you manage to look so cool and collected on a day like today? I'm going to melt at any moment."

"It's a spell. I'll teach it to you some day."

The thought of sitting on the work bench at the table, bending over a spell and murmuring quietly with Sebastian as they sorted through it left the back of Kurt's neck getting a little bit hot. Absently, he lifted a hand and rubbed over the spot, listening to the bustle of the street and the thump of his walking stick against the cobblestone. "All right," he agreed some moments later, though Sebastian said nothing more. They walked in silence, Kurt now admiring the city once again, until he almost stepped right off the street corner and directly into the path of an oncoming car.

"Woah!" Sebastian grabbed onto Kurt's hand, tugging him back just in time. He cupped Kurt's elbow shortly thereafter to steady him, his eyebrows knitted downward in concern. "Jesus, Kurt, do you ever pay attention to where you're going?"

"It was an accident," Kurt retorted, defensive.

"Yeah, sure," Sebastian muttered. "Are you all right?"

"I'm _fine_," Kurt said and yanked his elbow from Sebastian's grasp. "Stop treating me like such an invalid. I'm old, not crippled."

"You don't inspire much faith with the way you act completely _demented_." They crossed the street now that it was clear of vehicles; Kurt didn't realize Sebastian's hand had been resting securely on his lower back the entire time.

"Would you stop touching me?" Kurt said over his shoulder.

"When you stop giving me reason to believe you're going to hurt yourself or those around you, sure."

Kurt huffed and said nothing more, simply resigning himself and allowing Sebastian to keep touching him as they finished their walk to the castle door. The house it was taking up was actually an old stable building, painted dark red with the words WIZARD OBLONSKY in gold above the door. There were two gold light fixtures on either side of the windows; though they looked into the castle, Kurt knew that they would still look out onto Porthaven when they went inside.

"Who's Oblonsky?" Kurt asked as Sebastian closed the door behind them.

"You ask a lot of questions," Sebastian stated and brushed by Kurt to go into the main room. "It's the name I go by here. It sounds more prestigious. Speaking of which, you'll be going by Kurt Oblonsky to the King tomorrow."

Sighing, Kurt said nothing to that and stowed the disguise cloak in the closet. He was feeling very hot and sweaty, so he decided to go upstairs into the bathroom and wash up before getting started on the chores he'd planned to do that day. Getting that cooling spell from Sebastian was at the top of his list as well, because just saying it to himself in the mirror wasn't doing him any good. Thankfully, the entire castle seemed to be enchanted with it so Kurt didn't have to worry as he got started on the dishes he'd abandoned that morning.

He'd just plunged his hands into the soapy suds when the door of the castle clattered open and Santana stomped up the stairs. He barely managed to get out, "Good afterno -" before she was reaching over him to switch the faucet off and crowd him back into the corner. The look on her face could have killed him, and frankly, Kurt was terrified.

"All right, old man," she spat, "you wanna try explaining yourself, or should I disembowel you right here?"

"W-What?!"

"You think I didn't see you _stalking_ me? Who do you think made those disguise cloaks, huh?"

"I was just curious," Kurt defended weakly. His heart had given a funny start and was behaving very oddly, causing him to gasp out for breath. "I'm… I -"

Someone yanked Santana away, and Kurt saw almost immediately that it was Sebastian. The wizard grasped his elbow, pulled him away from the wall, and then settled a hand on Kurt's back. The room got warmer as Jesse flared up in the hearth, and almost instantly, Kurt's heart began to behave properly again. "Sit down," Sebastian ordered and forced Kurt into the hearest chair. He went willingly, his heart still _thu-thump_ing in his chest.

"If he's going to preach his ignorant, narrow-minded tirade at me, at least let me kill him first," Santana said from over by the table. The dog was blocking her path, moving whichever way she moved in order to save Kurt from her wrath.

"I'm not going to preach at you," Kurt wheezed. Sebastian returned to his side with a mug. The bottom of it was filled with a sharp-smelling amber liquid, and Kurt didn't hesitate to swallow down the mouthful of liquor. It warmed him from the inside out and in mere moments, he could feel his entire body calming down. "I don't even care."

"Yeah, right," Santana muttered, but it didn't sound as biting as before. A glance up told Kurt that Sebastian was mouthing words to her and pointing down at Kurt - telling her all about his own preferences, no doubt. Regardless, she didn't approach Kurt for the rest of the afternoon; she just sat bent over the workbench near the table, studiously chipping away at a spell while Sebastian coached Kurt in how he should address and communicate with the King. It was all a lot of nonsensical information, so Kurt only paid as much attention as he had to.

It wasn't until Kurt had settled into his bed and was about to close his eyes that the curtain pulled back and Santana looked down at him with an unreadable expression. He couldn't tell if she was mad or sad or anything else, so he just rolled over a bit to get a better look at her.

"I'm sorry I scared you," she said eventually and sat down on the edge of his cot. She stared down at her hands, twisting and untwisting her fingers together, so that she didn't have to look Kurt in the eye. "Sebastian told me your heart stutters when you're very scared, and I didn't know, so… I'm sorry. But I was keeping… that private for a reason."

It was then she looked up, her eyes wider than he'd ever seen them before. She looked incredibly young, younger than he'd ever noticed before. "How old are you, child?" Kurt asked.

"Fifteen, last May Day," she said immediately and gestured to the grate. "You're from Market Chipping, so you probably saw Jesse set off the fireworks from the castle for it."

_She's so young_, Kurt thought. _Rachel's so much older than she is_… But he knew their age difference was of little consequence at the moment and that the real matter at hand was the fact that Santana loved a woman.

"I don't like telling people about that," Santana went on to say, as if following along where Kurt's thoughts were going. "About girls, I mean." She looked down again. "I've never had good experiences."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

Santana blew out a sigh, straightened up, and said, "My parents caught me kissing a girl when I was thirteen. They disowned me right onto the streets of Porthaven, packed up, and left. I was homeless for months. People kept turning me off of doorsteps and away from alleys and scolded me for rooting through trash. I would have starved to death if I hadn't collapsed onto Sebastian's doorstep." At that, she smiled fondly. "He almost tripped over me as he was heading into town for some bread. But he let me inside while he was gone."

"She cried on me," Jesse piped up. "It was terrifying."

"Be quiet, pansy," Santana told him and focused on Kurt again. "When he got back, he didn't turn me out. Just went on like I wasn't even here. That was a few days. Eventually, I started using his bathroom and eating his food and sleeping in his spare room and then one day after that, I told him straight up: 'You're gonna take me on as an apprentice and let me help you with your budget and let me live here. Oh, and I like girls.' And he just shrugged and said it was fine and went on like I hadn't spoken at all."

Kurt's lips twisted. It seemed misfits of all sorts were welcome in Sebastian's house.

"He treats me well," Santana continued. "As much as I complain, he's never done anything to hurt me or tried to force me to leave. And you've been really kind to me, too, and I… I didn't want your opinion to change for a reason as stupid as that."

Kurt didn't realize Santana was crying until the first tear dripped down her nose and landed in her lap. "Oh, Santana," he murmured, sitting up. He drew her close to him without hesitation and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back, holding on tight, and together, they just sat there and held each other for a long while. It was Santana who sat up first, though she didn't move too far away.

"I knew from the moment I saw you that you'd fit in here," she said. "And I didn't want you to leave when he fired you that first time because I actually liked you and you understood Jesse. Not many people get both qualifiers, but you did."

"Thank you," was all Kurt could think of to say.

"Yeah," she said and wiped her face off. "I should probably go sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. Meeting the King and all."

"Of course," Kurt said. And to think he'd almost forgotten about that.


	9. In Which Kurt Calls Upon the King

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, Blaine/OMC, Pezberry.

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 3,000+ for this chapter.

* * *

The castle was alive with life early the next morning. Gray light was shining in through the windows overlooking Porthaven when Sebastian came thundering down the stairs to wake Kurt in order to prepare to see the King. He was given hot water for a bath, where scrubbed himself quickly but thoroughly and soaked for a while in order to rest. He would have fallen asleep there if Sebastian hadn't come banging on the door, demanding that Kurt put his suit on and eat some breakfast.

He was feeling groggy but agreeable as he sat beside Santana and spooned oatmeal into his mouth. Behind him, Sebastian was pacing back and forth across the room and giving last minute instructions and advice that neither Santana nor Kurt were paying the least bit attention to. "Sebastian," Kurt finally said, "shut up and sit down. You're wasting your breath."

That got the wizard in a huff. "Excuse me for trying to get this to work," he stated and stomped back upstairs to his bedroom. The door slammed. Kurt and Santana ate in a comfortable silence, peaceful and content without Sebastian breathing down their necks. It lasted only a moment, though, because then Sebastian was stomping back down the stairs. "Here. I made this for you, you ungrateful old bag." He threw a blue stone dangling from a plain silver chain onto the table and then went back upstairs again. Kurt picked it up, slipped it around his neck, and immediately felt cooler. Truthfully, he was grateful for the spell; traipsing around Kingsbury in his velvet suit with how hot it had been over the last few days would have left him dead on the side of one of those gold roads.

"I can't believe I'm posing as your handmaiden," Santana said as she smoothed down her hair and got the door for Kurt. "Who even uses the term handmaiden anymore?"

Sebastian appeared at the railing, looking down at them as they went down the steps. "Why are you taking that stick? It's ugly."

"Not all of us are as vain as you," Kurt said haughtily, clutching his stick to his chest like a mother might clutch her child. "And I need it. It's comforting."

Rolling his eyes, Sebastian straightened up. "Make sure you say everything I told you to say," he ordered.

"Yes, yes," Kurt said waving him away. He'd had quite enough of Sebastian's antics over all of this, to the point where he would have preferred the wizard running away if it didn't mean disrupting Santana's budding relationship with Rachel. He made sure to close the door good and tight before Sebastian could say anything more before clumping along Santana toward the palace, feeling nice and cool on the warm summer day.

Kurt knew they had arrived at the palace before he even saw it. The buildings stopped in favor of a wide, elaborate gated area, though the gates were open and cars were passing in and out. They had to walk through rows and rows of lavish buildings; whether they were actual homes or for professional use only, Kurt couldn't tell. If it were possible, the ladies and gentlemen walking around this area were even finer than the others in the city. Even in his new velvet suit and shoes, Kurt felt horribly out of place.

Santana seemed to sense his thoughts, because she squeezed his elbow and murmured, "You look great, _papi_. Don't sweat it."

They arrived at the stairs of a huge, ornate building, bigger and grander than anything Kurt had ever seen. The stairs seemed to go up and up forever, lined with gold trim and made from a marble stone. The palace itself was draped with red and gold, the glass domes looming overhead and glistening in the morning light. Kurt was overwhelmed at how beautiful it all was and only began to mount the steps, one by one, with Santana's hand clutching his. Even with the cooling spell, Kurt could feel himself beginning to sweat. Still, he didn't complain much, not as they passed the attendants in thick, red uniforms lining the staircase all the way up to the front door. They were most definitely worse off than he was.

By the time Kurt reached the top of the stairs, he was winded but not sore or aching, which was a relief. He accepted a handkerchief from Santana, wiped his face and neck off, and then hobbled forward into the palace. He was stopped only once, but as soon as he said the name Oblonsky, the attendants began passing him along down the hall, shouting, "Mr. Oblonsky to see the King!" every time he reached a new person.

Santana was taken from him and led into a side room to wait long before Kurt made it to the King's chamber. He was taken up a flight of stairs and down an even grander hallway than the one he'd first arrived in. Red tapestries hung from the walls, a plush red carpet cushioning his footfalls on the floor. Eventually, he reached a beautiful set of wooden doors, where two guards were stationed on either side. The attending footman opened the door and promptly announced, "Mr. Kurt Oblonsky to see you, Your Grace."

Kurt stepped into the room. The door was shut securely behind him. Inside, the King was seated in a chair with wheels, his legs skinny and tucked neatly onto footrests built into the chair. He was a small man, dressed plainly in a crisp shirt, trousers, and shined shoes, his face round and kind-looking. His hair was brushed neatly, and he wore a pair of glasses on his nose. He was certainly not the type of man Kurt would have envisioned sitting on the throne of Ingary, but then again, he had to admit that there was a certain elegance to him that he hadn't noticed at first glance.

"Mr. Oblonsky," the King said, "how kind of you to come visit. Won't you have a seat?"

A footman pulled a chair up. Kurt sank into it, noticing that there was still a great deal of space between him and the King. The room was enormous, with dark wood paneled walls and a soft, plush carpet. The thick curtains had been pulled back and were letting the sunlight stream in through the wall of windows on the other side of the room. There was a desk, currently unattended, with papers and books strewn all over it; it reminded Kurt vaguely of Sebastian's desk in his room at the castle.

"It's very nice to meet you, Your Majesty," Kurt greeted as he settled his hands on top of his stick and straightened his spine. He wanted to feel as regal as King Arthur looked.

"The same to you," King Arthur replied and folded his hands into his lap. "Now, what is it Sebastian told me you wanted to talk about?" The King paused and seemed to realize how rude that sounded, for he added, "I hate to be so blunt, but I'm afraid with my brother missing, I haven't had much time for casual conversation."

"No, no, I understand," Kurt said quickly, feeling more and more nervous as the seconds ticked by because he suddenly realized his mind had gone blank. He couldn't remember a word of what Sebastian had wanted him to say. "And I don't want to waste a minute more of your time, but I felt that you need to hear what I have to say."

King Arthur made a 'go on' gesture with his hand.

Blackening Sebastian's name was easy; Kurt did it all the time within the walls of the castle, and he could certainly do it right there, right then. He took a breath and started to speak. "I genuinely believe you've chosen the wrong man for the job. Sebastian is a coward and will run away at the first sign of trouble. He's - he's selfish, and vain, and cares more about the state of his hair than he does about the people who work for him." Kurt was pleased with himself; he'd started up a good rhythm, and now the words came easier. "He's petty and irresponsible and goes out drinking willy nilly, and manipulates people. Though, he _will_ own up to his mistakes and can actually be quite compassionate…" _Oh, no_, Kurt thought. _What am I doing?_

Before Kurt could go on, King Arthur held up a hand and caused Kurt to go silent. "Mr. Oblonsky… did Sebastian send you here?"

_Damn it_, Kurt thought. _I've been caught_. "He did, Your Majesty, because what I said is true. He's a coward, and he wants to run away from searching for your brother and Wizard Samuel."

King Arthur sat back in his chair and sighed. "What a relief."

"...A… what, Your Majesty…?"

Smiling, the King wheeled his chair forward a little bit in order to be closer to Kurt. "When Sebastian first came to me yesterday morning in order to talk about the formalities of his appointment to Royal Wizard, he seemed very eager to get started, and that worried me. Any man in his right mind would be horrified by the prospect of taking on such a job, especially with what's happened to Samuel and my brother."

Kurt was dumbfounded. "I… don't understand."

"Allow me to explain," King Arthur said indulgently. "I apologize for being unclear, but my point is this: His eagerness worried me because it made me believe that he was foolhardy. That's not the kind of man I need in this position right now. A foolhardy man would have blundered right into whatever traps the Witch of the Waste had laid, but a smart man? He'd be very, very wise to be weary and, frankly, terrified of her and what she could do."

Kurt felt cold all over, and not just from the cooling spell. This was going disastrously. Sebastian would be infuriated with him and turn him out as a result of all of this for sure. "Your Majesty…"

"I understand why you're worried about your son, Mr. Oblonsky," the King sad softly. He rolled forward even more and gently laid his smooth hand over Kurt's wrinkled one on top of Kurt's walking stick. "You have every right to be, and I really don't want to put Sebastian in this difficult and dangerous position. But we're on the brink of war with Strangia and High Norland; if we don't find my brother, it will be an inevitability, but if we find him, we can put it to rest and save our country the hardships of going to war." His smile was so very kind that Kurt felt terrible for trying to deceive him in the first place.

"You don't understand -" Kurt began weakly.

"I do understand," King Arthur insisted. "I promise that I do. Sebastian is the best hope that we have." Letting go of Kurt's hands, King Arthur rolled back and toward his desk, rummaging around for some papers. Kurt wanted to tell the King that putting hope in Sebastian was a fruitless thing to do, but the other man seemed to have made up his mind quite fixedly about the matter. "We'll be holding a celebration in the coming weeks to mark Sebastian's induction to the Royal Court. It will be a very lovely affair and offer a chance for the people of Ingary to celebrate even in these troubling times. We'll be sending invitations out within the week and truly hope to see both you and your son there."

"He'll try to run away," Kurt insisted in a last-ditch effort.

The King shook his head. "I don't believe he will." He glanced up and waved his hand for one of the footmen to come forward. "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Oblonsky; I really do appreciate you coming to talk with me, but I'm afraid I really do have some work that needs attending to. I'll see you in a few weeks."

And with that, Kurt was helped from his seat and passed from footman to footman until he was downstairs and Santana rejoined him in the hall. She waited until they were back outside in the heat of the day and hobbling down the stairs before asking, "How did it go?"

"Terribly," Kurt sighed. "I ruined it! Everything I said went in one ear and out the other; the King believes Sebastian will be cooperative and helpful and that he's Ingary's only hope."

"So he's staying on as the Royal Wizard?"

"So it seems."

Santana was silent for the rest of the walk back to the castle. They both seemed to be thinking the same thing: Sebastian was going to move the castle entrances and force them all to run away.

Sebastian was waiting beside the door when they walked in, immediately pouncing. "How did it go? How badly did you blacken my name?"

Keeping quiet for the moment, Kurt hobbled up the steps and began to shed a few of his layers. The dog immediately came over, sniffing Kurt's pant legs, and followed him as Kurt made his way through the room. Even if he hadn't been overheated in his suit, it was still heavy and uncomfortable, and Kurt wanted to at least make himself comfortable before Sebastian went on a tirade. Sinking down into this chair, watching Jesse flicker and blink in curiosity, Kurt sighed and said, "It didn't work at all. I ruined the entire thing. I'm so sorry, Sebastian."

It was dead silent in the castle. Even Jesse's crackling seemed to hush up as they all waited for Sebastian's response. Kurt, especially, waited with baited breath, refusing to turn and look at Sebastian for fear of what he mind end up seeing.

All Sebastian said was, "What do you mean?"

He sounded calm, scarily so, so Kurt took a breath and just started talking, relaying how the conversation with the King had gone. He told Sebastian about the King's impression of him, how he believed Sebastian was Ingary's only hope, and how sending Kurt had the opposite effect they'd hoped it would have. When he'd finished recounting the visit, he sat in silence and scratched the dog's ears, holding his breath and waiting for the storm to come, but Sebastian just sighed and sat down at the table to rub his hands over his face.

"Sebastian?" Jesse questioned, raising himself up to peer over Kurt's shoulder. "What are we going to do now?"

Kurt turned in time to see Sebastian drop his hands down into his lap, his lips twisting like he'd just sucked on a lemon. After a long beat of silence, he said, "We have to move the castle."

"_No!_" Santana jumped up, her expression utterly furious. If that had been directed at Kurt, he would have been very scared, but Sebastian looked nonplussed. "No, we can't leave! Stop being such a damn coward and do what the King's asking you to do!"

"You don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation," Sebastian said calmly, though Kurt could see the vein in his neck getting tight. "The Witch got a hold of both Sam _and_ Prince Finn. If I give in and do this, she'll be after me, too. I have something she wants, and if she gets me… Ingary is doomed. We _have_ to leave. We have to hide."

"Then leave me here!" she shouted. "Find me a new apprenticeship and leave me here in Kingsbury!"

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose and sounded fairly desperate as he went on, "I can't, Santana; if I do, she'll go after you and use you to get to me."

The fact of the matter was, Sebastian's logic was nearly-flaw free. Kurt wasn't sure if he was telling the truth about Ingary being doomed and having something she wanted, but by the way he spoke, Kurt was inclined to believe him. Santana seemed to realize she was running out of arguments as well, for she turned to Kurt and asked, "This is ridiculous, isn't it, Kurt? Tell him he's being ridiculous!"

"Sebastian has a point, Santana," Kurt said reluctantly.

The apprentice wanted to hear no more; she ran for the stairs and went up them twice as fast. Seconds later, a door slammed which made the dog whine softly. Kurt himself flinched at how the entire castle seemed to shake with it.

The silence that followed was deafening. Sebastian sat, head hanging, and rubbed his hands over his face. "Sebastian?" Kurt said quietly. The wizard looked up, looking older and more exhausted than Kurt had ever seen before. "I'm sorry."

Sebastian shook his head. "Don't apologize. I should have known this would backfire."

"How long will it take before we move?"

"Moving itself won't take long at all," Sebastian said. "But I've got to find new places to put the doors, see how I can put the money together… that sort of thing, so it might take a week or two." He trailed off a little, looking at the floor and chewing on his thumbnail as he muttered to himself. "I'll have to play it up like I'm still going to help the King… strengthen my defenses against the Witch…"

"She _does_ know where every door is except the Kingsbury door," Jesse piped up from the grate. He had sunken down among the logs after Santana had begun to yell.

"I'll try to talk to Santana," Kurt said. "And see if I can get her to calm down."

"Thanks," Sebastian sighed. He stood up and headed for the stairs, then stopped and turned back. "And thank you. For going today." His lips quirked into a wry smile. "I'm sure you had a grand time blackening my name."

"I was only telling truths," Kurt vowed solemnly before grinning in reply. When he turned back to the hearth, he tried to cling to that little moment of warmth and forget about how things were falling apart all around him.


	10. In Which There is a Royal Celebration

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, with a few special surprise ships that will be listed as they appear!

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 5,100+ for this chapter.

**Author's Notes**: This is the last chapter I'll be posting for a while. You can read all about my hiatus on my LiveJournal (linked on my profile). In any case, I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter! Any and all feedback really does help more than you know. Thanks for reading!

* * *

To say Santana was utterly miserable in the following weeks was an understatement. She was completely belligerent, snapping at anyone who would even try to talk to her. She lazed about the castle, refused to work on spells or assist Kurt with the housework, and caused trouble for both Kurt and Sebastian whenever she got the chance. The only one she didn't seem hell-bent on torturing was Jesse, and that was only because she ignored his existence altogether. Her trips into Kingsbury would often last all day.

Sebastian came and went more frequently than ever, sometimes disappearing for days. Kurt realized, after a couple of days of this, that Sebastian was traveling out to the cities where they didn't have doors: Market Chipping, Upper Folding, and some of the other coastal cities and smaller towns along the countryside for cheap houses to buy. He would frequently ask for Kurt's opinion, but Kurt really didn't have a preference, and he was sure to say as much aloud. "There's a place in Market Chipping I've been looking at," Sebastian mused. "I'll go purchase that tomorrow morning, if that's all right?"

The idea left Kurt feeling a little nervous, but it wasn't as if anyone there would recognize him anyway, so he just waved Sebastian away and went along with his chores.

Sometime in the midst of all that nonsense, they got their invitation to the King's celebration of Sebastian's induction. Kurt showed it to Sebastian when he returned one day about a week after he'd been appointed. "We should go," Sebastian said. "For appearances."

Kurt didn't really relish the idea of watching beautiful people dance around a fancy ballroom while he was confined to a chair near the wall, but he was feeling agreeable so all he said was, "Sure."

Eventually, Kurt began to tire of Santana's attitude. He knew only one person would be able to talk some sense into her, so one day while Santana was lying on the couch by the wall, eating some cherry tart Kurt had made and getting finger stains on a stack of Sebastian's papers, Kurt left the castle and headed out into Kingsbury. As he walked, he was scared he would end up lost, but somehow, he found that brick house with the white pillars. Instead of heading around the back like he had the last time, he marched right up to the front door and rang the bell.

A footman answered, dressed in a plain gray suit. "May I help you?"

"Hello," Kurt said. "I was hoping I might be able to see Rachel Anderson."

Before the footman could answer, a beautiful woman with dark skin and long, black hair in a gorgeous cream-colored dress appeared behind him. "Who's this, Jacob?"

"He's calling upon Rachel, Miss Jones," the footman said.

The woman glanced up and eyed Kurt, her full lips pursed. She waved the footman away and stepped up to her full height; even hunched, Kurt was taller. "And who might you be, grandpa?"

"My name is Kurt," he said. "I live with Santana and Sebastian -"

Immediately, the cold, skeptical expression melted away into something warm and kind. "Santana's told us all about you," the woman said. "Come inside."

The interior of the house was just as beautiful as the outside. The floors were a dark wood, the walls plain white but decorated with various pictures and paintings. A set of stairs led upward to the next level, but Miss Jones led Kurt down the hall and into a sitting room. The entire place was splashed with warm colors, from the seat cushions to the drapes to the art upon the walls. The place seemed very lived in, and it made Kurt feel relaxed and at home straight away. "Please sit," Miss Jones said, gesturing to one of the many seats in the room. Kurt sat upon a small two-person couch and leaned his stick against the arm, shrugging out of his coat in order to lay it over the back. Immediately, the footman came, scooped it up, and took it away.

"Rachel will be right in," Miss Jones went on and took a seat in a chair across the coffee table from Kurt. "We've been so busy preparing for the King's ball for Sebastian. Are you going?"

"Yes," Kurt said, "all three of us have plans to attend."

"It's going to be quite the show," Miss Jones said. "Both Rachel and I will be performing."

Kurt's heart swelled to enormous sizes. He felt so incredibly proud of his friend for having come so far in just a few short weeks. Rachel truly deserved all the success in the world. Of course, he couldn't say that, so he just smiled widely. "I can't wait to hear you both, Miss Jones."

"Please," she said, "call me Mercedes."

Smiling indulgently, Kurt opened his mouth to say more, but then Rachel stepped into the room. She was lovely, her hair cut a little shorter than the last time he'd seen her with Santana and curled around her face. She was wearing a simple pink dress with a white sash. Her eyes immediately landed on Kurt, and for a moment, she was confused before recognition dawned on her face. "Kurt?"

It seemed almost too good to be true; how could she recognize him even when he was so old? "Rachel?" he questioned back.

She let out a squeal and practically jumped on top of him. Her arms were tight around his shoulders, and all Kurt could do was hug back. He could feel her tears, wet and warm, against his neck as she laughed and cried all at once. Kurt had to swallow hard and look up to the ceiling in order to keep himself from crying as well. For a minute or two, it was just the two of them hugging and sniffling until Rachel pulled away and sat back on the other side of the tiny couch. "I - I can't believe you're here. And you look so old! What in the world happened?"

Kurt couldn't get the words out, so he had no choice but to deflect. "I'm so glad to see you, Rachel. I've missed you so much."

Her smile grew again, crinkling her eyes and exposing all her teeth; Kurt had never seen her look so happy. "I missed you, too." Rachel sat back again, and Kurt noticed that Mercedes and the footmen had left them alone there in that sitting room. He was grateful for the privacy. "So, you're the old man who's living with Santana and Sebastian?"

"The one and only." He sat up a little and took one of her hands in his. "That's actually what this is about. I need your help with something."

"Let me guess," Rachel started. "Santana's acting like a child because you have to move."

Kurt blinked. "...You're not mad about that?"

Rachel laughed. "Of course not! She told me about the whole debacle with the King and how the Witch has been following Sebastian; on top of what's happened to the Prince and Wizard Samuel, I can't blame Sebastian for wanting to put some distance between himself and all of those people. Not at all. Santana's just afraid I'm going to forget about her or something ridiculous. I've told her countless times that we'll be fine, but it hasn't sunk in just yet."

"You know about her parents?"

"Yes," Rachel said with a sigh. "And it's sad, so I understand why she's skeptical of me still, but I need her to be safe first, and once all of this is sorted out, we can be together."

"You've gotten wise over these last few weeks, Rachel Anderson," Kurt noted.

Again, she laughed. "Mercedes has taught me quite a lot."

"Is there any chance you can come back with me to the castle and try and talk some sense into her?" Kurt went on. "I'm afraid that if we don't do something to calm her down, she's going to kill the both of us in our sleep one of these nights."

Rachel stood up. "Certainly. I'll walk back with you now. Just let me go tell Mercedes where I'm going and we can be off!"

In just a few moments, both Kurt and Rachel were stepping out of the house and walking back toward Sebastian's shop. They chatted about everything that had happened over the last few months, though Kurt, of course, had to steer clear of all discussion regarding the spell. He was more than happy to talk about all the things he'd done and seen in regards to cleaning the castle up, meeting a fire demon, and the magic he'd been witnessing. Rachel hung on every word and clung to his arm in excitement as he opened the door of the castle and led her inside.

Sebastian was at the work bench, his lips twisted together as Santana sang something, a song Kurt had never heard before, at the top of her voice. She glanced up when Kurt and Rachel reached the top of the stairs and cut off once she registered who was standing there. "Rachel," she said and scrambled off the sofa. "What are you doing here?"

"Come with me," Rachel said, stepping across the room and taking Santana's hand. "Let's go talk in private."

"Okay," Santana said, docile for the first time in days. She led Rachel through the back door of the castle that entered out to the grassy, walled-in yard Sebastian kept his bigger projects in. The door shut and as soon as it did, Sebastian threw his supplies down onto the bench.

"Thank god. I was two steps away from wringing her neck."

"I figured that if there was anyone who could talk some sense into her, it would be Rachel," Kurt said and took a seat beside the fire to read before he had to make dinner. Whatever Rachel said or did to Santana had her quiet and compliant, meekly apologizing to Kurt and Sebastian. Kurt just hugged her, told her that it was all right, and promised to ask Sebastian to consider putting in a hidden door to Kingsbury once the worst of this blew over. That seemed to appease her even further, and the castle returned to a stasis of peace and quiet once again.

* * *

The day of the King's celebration arrived. Kurt put on his new velvet suit, but apart from that, there was nothing more he could do to make himself look better. Going to this stupid thing when he looked so old made him want to hide in his cot. Instead, he squared his shoulders and left the bathroom. Though he may not have had looks, he certainly had pride to make up for it, and he was resolved and determined to break Sebastian's contract with Jesse so that the fire demon would finally take his spell off.

As he came down the stairs, Sebastian glanced up, did a double take, and stared. Kurt made it to the floor, where he asked, "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing," Sebastian said quickly. "You just… look amazing."

A pleasant flush warmed Kurt's face. "I-It's just the suit," he said dismissively. "I think I talked a charm into it."

"Yeah, maybe," Sebastian agreed, though he didn't sound at all convinced.

Kurt's eyes raked over Sebastian's form, clad in a plain black suit with green accents. "You look pretty handsome yourself," he admitted, which earned a sly, almost flirtatious smile from the wizard.

Santana came down at last, dressed in a gorgeous red gown that draped over her body, accentuating every subtle curve without being overdone. Her hair was curled and pinned up, and she was wearing silver jewelry to match. Now that they'd all been assembled, Sebastian opened up the door and stepped out onto the street. The dog barked from the top of the stairs, just as Kurt made it to the door.

"Don't worry, Percival," Kurt soothed. "We're just going to be gone a couple hours. Keep Jesse company, will you?"

The dog wagged his tail and whined but nonetheless backed into the room.

A warm breeze picked up on the street as Kurt closed the door behind him. The hair on the back of his neck prickled. Something felt peculiar about this night, like something big was coming. "Sebastian?" Kurt questioned quietly as they began to walk. The wizard tilted his head slightly toward Kurt to show he was listening. Farther ahead, toward the richer side of town, he could already see the beautiful people of Kingsbury heading to the ballroom in their fancy dresses and suits.

"Do you feel that?" Kurt asked in a low voice after a few moments.

Sebastian's jaw clenched. "Yes."

"Do you think…?" Kurt started, but trailed off when Santana, who was a good half a block ahead of them, turned around and planted a hand on her hip.

"Are you idiots gonna hurry it up or what?" She turned right back around and kept walking.

Kurt and Sebastian picked up the pace; once more, Sebastian's hand was settled low on Kurt's back, guiding him, as the wizard said, "Don't worry, okay?"

Kurt just nodded. Sebastian's grip tightened just slightly, and Kurt couldn't resist the urge to lean into him for just a moment before remembering they were supposed to be father and son and gently stepping away from Sebastian's embrace, hurrying after Santana toward bright lights in the distance.

They arrived at the palace, where carriages and cars were dropping the more esteemed guests at the foot of those enormous marble stairs. Santana was more eager to get inside, so she started up them and didn't bother waiting. Sebastian, however, was a proper gentleman and allowed Kurt to use his arm for balance as they hiked up the stairs. "You don't have to wait," Kurt huffed, "I can do it myself."

"I know." Sebastian smirked a little at that. "But I want to."

And, well… Kurt didn't really have anything to say to that, so he just glanced up, gave Sebastian a grateful smile, and continued trekking up the stairs.

Once they reached the landing, they followed the line of finely-dressed footmen into the palace and toward the ballroom where the gathering was being held. Kurt thought that the King was very fortunate to be in a chair on wheels, for walking through this place was tiring. Suddenly, Sebastian laughed, and Kurt realized he'd spoken out loud. "I'll make you a wheelchair, too, okay? I'll make it run on its own and everything."

"I'm not _that _old, Sebastian," Kurt chided, but he couldn't get the smile off his face.

"Right, right. You're only… nineteen, right?" Sebastian teased, but there was something serious underneath it, like he was hedging for something. The words got caught in Kurt's throat, so he couldn't even tease back.

"Don't be so ridiculous," was what he settled on.

Sebastian just said, "Yeah, yeah," in reply.

Inside, the ballroom was packed and enormous. A small string quartet was situated on an elevated wooden platform, playing arrangement after arrangement while half of the people danced. The other half were mingling, chatting, enjoying the refreshments and waiting impatiently for their chance to greet the King, who was seated upon another platform equipped with a ramp for his chair with his wife sitting at his side. Queen Christina had the blackest hair Kurt had ever seen, falling along her shoulders in gentle ringlets, though the rest was pinned up in an elaborate sweep held up by a glittering pins Kurt could see all the way across the ballroom.

Unsurprisingly, Santana had already vanished, no doubt on the prowl to enjoy Rachel's company for the rest of the evening. The crowd, which had turned to look up at Kurt and Sebastian upon their entrance being announced, was flocking toward the stairs in order to shake Sebastian's hand and congratulate him. Even Kurt heard a few comments directed at him, usually consisting of, "Congratulations, Mr. Oblonsky! You must be so proud of your son!"

Kurt gave them smiles and told them that yes, he was as proud as a father could be, but he was quick to detach himself and linger near a wall, unable to shake that neck-prickling feeling.

He watched the crowd part for Sebastian as the wizard made his way across the wide, marble floor to where the King was seated on his platform. He watched Sebastian bow deeply to the King and then climb the ramp onto the platform in order to speak lowly into the King's ear. Kurt snatched up a flute of pale, bubbling champagne and drank slowly from it, his eyes never once leaving Sebastian as he watched the wizard bow again to the King and descend the ramp.

Their eyes met then, across the floor, and Kurt felt his scalp prickle, this time for completely different reasons. He didn't once look away as Sebastian crossed the floor, until Sebastian maneuvered himself to stand at Kurt's side, leaning up against the wall. "I was telling him about the wards I'd put up around the castle," Sebastian explained without preamble. "Particularly around the ballroom, in hopes they'd protect this place from her." Sebastian smiled wryly and gently pried Kurt's flute from his grasp in order to swallow the rest down. Their eyes met again. "I guess you could say I'm officially the Royal Wizard of Ingary."

"Sebastian…" Kurt started, only to be silenced by Sebastian holding up a hand.

"It'll be fine. I've been trying to vanquish the Witch for ages now." Sebastian looked away, out over the crowd before them. "I couldn't figure out how at first, which was why I started running, and then I guess I just kept running and forgot how to stop. I needed this, in a way."

"But what if you get hurt?" Kurt insisted. His voice sounded high with fear, even to his own ears. "I - I don't want you to -"

"Hey." Sebastian's voice was gentle. "Don't worry about me. Worry about you, okay? For my sake."

Those three words rang in Kurt's head like a bell, and all he could do was nod his assent. That made Sebastian smile once more, but before their conversation could continue, Santana materialized in front of them. "Hey, _papi_," she greeted with a grin. She slid her hand into Kurt's. "Let's dance."

"What about Rachel?" Kurt demanded, resisting. Now that he was away from the wall, away from Sebastian's side, he was hyperaware of how much he was lacking in comparison to all of these glamorous people. Even his fine velvet suit felt frumpy and understated.

Santana rolled her eyes. "She's getting ready to sing. C'mon, dance!"

Kurt allowed himself to be toted onto the dance floor, though his eyes continued to shift back and forth anxiously across the crowd. No one paid them an ounce of mind, though, as Santana stopped at the center of the dance floor and turned to face Kurt with a sly smile. "You ever danced, old man?" she inquired, stepping into position. Kurt placed one hand on her waist and held one of hers in his free one.

"Of course I've danced," he scoffed, recalling the times he and his mother would put the records on and dance around the living room of their beautiful home in Market Chipping, before everything had changed so drastically. Sure, it hadn't been anything serious, but Kurt had taken it seriously, which meant he was lighter on his feet than most. At first, he had feared that, standing across from her in his sorry state, he'd be too short to do this properly; becoming old had made him hunched and had caused his movements to become stiff.

But that wasn't how it was at all. For the first time in weeks, he felt tall, and as he and Santana took their first steps together, he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

They danced together for a while. Each song blended into the next, some faster than others. By the end, Kurt was winded from laughing, feeling flushed and buzzing with excitement. Santana, too, was smiling, free and easy in a way he'd never seen before, and as the song came to a close, they stopped and clapped, beaming at one another.

Santana's eyes shifted to something over Kurt's shoulder, and she said, "That was fun, Kurt, but I've gotta go find Rachel." Their eyes met again, and she smiled before ducking through the crowd before Kurt could say anything.

Even before he turned to go back to the wall, he felt someone tap his shoulder. Kurt turned and was mostly unsurprised to find that he was staring up into Sebastian's eyes. The distance between them felt smaller than usual, and Kurt's heart gave an uncharacteristic thump.

"May I have this dance?" the wizard inquired, holding out his hand.

Kurt felt his neck get hot. "I'm supposed to be your father, Sebastian."

"And no one would bat an eyelash at your charming son, taking his old father for a turn around the dance floor." He smiled, softer this time. "Dance with me."

Kurt couldn't think of a good enough reason to say no, so he just nodded and allowed Sebastian to take his hand. Together, they began to turn slowly, swaying. The music picked up again, and Rachel began to softly, beautifully croon the words of a slow, romantic song that Kurt remembered his mother singing in his youth. For that moment, though, Kurt only had eyes for Sebastian, and the sentiment appeared to be mutual.

_"When I fall in love,_

_It will be forever,_

_Or I'll never fall in love._

_In a restless world like this,_

_Love is ended before it's begun,_

_And too many moonlight kisses_

_Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun."_

Though neither of them said anything, it was as though they didn't have to; Kurt knew Sebastian understood, because Kurt did, too. Even in that room, full of people who believed the two men to be father and son, Kurt knew that everything he'd been through, everything that had happened to him, had led him up to this. This moment, this life within the castle, his relationships with Santana and Jesse, Blaine and Percival, and, of course, Sebastian.

_"When I give my heart,_

_It will be completely,_

_Or I'll never give my heart._

_And the moment I can feel_

_That you feel that way, too,_

_Is when I fall in love with you."_

Kurt opened his mouth to say something, when that neck prickling feeling returned tenfold. Sebastian, too, tensed up, and turned his gaze to the glass ceiling above. "You feel it, don't you?" Kurt whispered.

_"And the moment I can feel_

_That you feel that way, too,_

_Is when I fall in love with you."_

"Yeah," Sebastian murmured in response as Rachel's song came to a close. Everyone stopped dancing and began to applaud, the sound overtaking the room. Kurt felt Sebastian's hand tighten around his own, almost protectively, as the wizard added, almost inaudibly, "She's here." Sebastian finally lowered his head, and their eyes finally met, and Sebastian's widened slightly.

"Kurt," he breathed, the applause dying down. He raised a hand, like he was going to touch Kurt's face. "Kurt, you're -"

A crash sounded overhead. The lights flickered as the glass from the dome ceiling rained down onto the party. Simultaneously, the people around them began to scream, ducking and covering their heads to protect themselves. Before he knew it, he was being urged over by Sebastian; the wizard used his body like a shield, protecting Kurt from the glass until the rain stopped and they could both straighten up. As they did, Kurt saw Sebastian's protective wards flare, shimmering along the walls.

"Come on!" Sebastian yelled, clasping Kurt's hand and starting to pull him through the crowd.

"But Santana -"

"Will be fine! Rachel, too. We have to get to the King!"

Kurt darted alongside Sebastian, toward the King's platform, as thunder crashed overhead, lightning flashing blue, red, and purple streaks across the sky. The people in the ballroom surged toward the exits and cowered against the walls, staring fearfully at the ceiling.

Kurt remained at the base of the ramp while Sebastian ushered the King and Queen down. "The Witch is here," Kurt heard Sebastian say. "I've prepared a safe room below the castle. You will stay there until I draw her away."

"What about my daughter?" Queen Christina said.

"She's already there. She's waiting for you."

Something stirred within Kurt, and all he could do was stare at Sebastian as the King passed him on the ramp.

"Do I know you?" the King asked.

"Not now, Artie," Queen Christina chided softly, pushing the King through a secret door hidden behind the platform. Together, the four of them made their way down ramp after ramp, further and further into the castle, until they stood outside a plain wooden door.

Inside was a simple room, with cots folded up against the walls, a fireplace burning brightly, soft chairs, a bookshelf, a closed suitcase, and a small basket filled with various foods. A woman and a small brunette child were already in there. As King Arthur rolled to a stop and Queen Christina gathered her child in her arms, Sebastian began to speak. "This room is reenforced with wards," he said, raising his hands. A surge of power flooded the room, causing goosebumps to raise on Kurt's arms, and he saw the circles shimmer on the walls. "She won't be able to breach it. However, you can't leave the room. Not until the ward on the back of this door -" Sebastian tapped on the door they'd just come through. "-vanishes. Once it does, you're free to leave, but if you leave before it's gone, then the wards will break, and there's nothing more I can do to help you."

"What are you going to do?" King Arthur demanded, sounding every bit the king he was.

"I'm going to draw her away from here," Sebastian said. "Buy myself some time. After that, I'm going after her." He paused, then knelt at the King's feet while Kurt stood, shell-shocked, in the doorway. "I'm going to get your brother and Sam back, Artie. I promise."

"Okay," the King said, simply, and then Sebastian stood.

"Come on, Kurt, let's go."

Wordlessly, Kurt followed Sebastian into the hall and watched the door swing closed. Sebastian said a few words of an incantation, activating the wards, and then, he turned to face Kurt. Together, the two of them made their way back up toward the ballroom. When they made it to the corridor that would lead back into the ballroom or further into the castle, Sebastian stopped and turned to face Kurt.

"It's time for us to split up," Sebastian said. "I've gotta go outside and try to draw her away from the castle."

"You planned this all along," Kurt blurted, causing Sebastian's eyebrows to raise in surprise. His voice sounded high and clear to his own ears, and he realized, suddenly, that he was young again. "To become the Royal Wizard, I mean."

Sebastian's eyes softened. "Sam is my friend. I couldn't say no."

"I don't want you to go," Kurt insisted, grabbing onto Sebastian's hand and holding tight. "I don't want you to get hurt. Let me at least go with you!"

Sebastian shook his head. "No. Someone needs to lead Santana and Rachel back to the castle. You're the only one who could get them there safely."

It was a losing battle, and Kurt knew that, but he still couldn't stop himself from saying, "I don't want to leave you."

"I'll be back before you know it," Sebastian insisted, softly, cupping Kurt's face between both of his hands. Once more, their eyes met, and Kurt felt like he was drowning in a sea of bright, clear green. Sometimes, Sebastian's eyes were so artificial he believed them to be made of green marbles, but now they looked genuine and soft, like water. "I promise. I _promise_."

"Fine," Kurt replied stubbornly and raised his hands to clasp Sebastian's wrists. "But if you don't come back, I swear I'm going back into that bathroom and wreaking as much havoc as I possibly can."

Sebastian laughed at that, bright and genuine, and Kurt couldn't help but giggle, too.

"Sounds like a fair trade."

A rumble shook the castle, throwing Kurt off-balance and into Sebastian's chest. He threw his arms around the wizard and hugged tight, burying his face into the shoulder of Sebastian's blazer. "Please protect him," he whispered fiercely, willing it with all of his might and all the power he had within him. "Keep him safe. Make sure he returns home."

"It's going to be okay," Sebastian insisted, unaware that Kurt had said anything at all. He held Kurt out at arms length. "Go. Hurry; you have to find Santana and Rachel."

"Okay," Kurt said and finally took a step back, away from Sebastian so that they were no longer touching. Sebastian dropped his arms and turned, running down the hall without looking back. Kurt watched until he was gone, tears stinging his eyes. He turned his gaze to the ceiling, taking a few deep breaths to collect himself. Only when he was sure he wouldn't cry did he turn and hurry back into the ballroom.

* * *

Even as he burst through the doors, Kurt knew the spell had reclaimed him and that he was an old man again. It was further enforced when he found Santana and Rachel ducked down into a corner near the stage. Santana yelled, "_Papi_!", and Rachel gave no indication that he looked any different than when he'd seen her at Mercedes' the week or so before.

"We need to leave," Kurt insisted.

"Where's Sebastian?" Santana demanded.

Overhead, the sky erupted in a blast of bright green light, and Sebastian swooped onto the roof, landing heavily on one of the metal support beams. He looked radically different, his suit morphing into a pelt of thick black feathers. Instead of arms, he had wings, wide and powerful, his legs crooked and bent at odd angles in order to support his growing frame. He looked frightening with power.

"Oh my god," Rachel breathed.

A silver streak flashed across sky, over Sebastian's head, and Kurt knew that it had to be the Witch. Sebastian took off again, the talons of his feet shattering more of the glass dome, and then he was gone. The flashes of light followed them, no longer directly up ahead. Soon enough, they were only brief glimmers against the black sky.

"We need to get out of here," Kurt repeated, his voice shaking. This time, neither Santana nor Rachel said anything, and together, the three of them ran out of the palace, under the flashing lights above Kingsbury to the castle across town.


	11. In Which There is a Great Deal of Moving

**Title**: Falling Stars

**Rating**: PG, mostly for language.

**Pairing**: Kurt/Sebastian, with a few special surprise ships that will be listed as they appear!

**Based on**:_ Howl's Moving Castle_ by Diana Wynne Jones/directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

**Word Count**: 5,700+ for this chapter.

**Author's Notes**: Surprise! Merry Christmas! Please enjoy this chapter, and have a wonderful holiday season, regardless of what you'll be celebrating!

* * *

Inside the castle, Jesse was blazing bright and hot and green in the gate, his eyes white and his tongue flailing out of his mouth. Percival was in the corner, howling loudly at the ceiling, clearly unnerved by Jesse's outrageous display. "Percival!" Kurt yelled, hurrying over to the dog. "Relax, just relax!"

"What's happening!?" Rachel screamed, for Jesse's roaring was oppressive in the room.

"Sebastian's fighting the Witch!" Santana yelled back with her hands over her ears. "I've only seen him do it once before! Come on, let's go out back!"

The back yard was quieter, though they could still see the flashes of colored lights tinging the sky every few seconds and hear the roar of Jesse inside. The grass was wet, and there were huge mounds of scrap metal scattered everywhere. Kurt took a seat on the least frightening looking piece and sighed, holding on tight to his walking stick.

Santana and Rachel ended up spreading Rachel's shawl onto the grass and sitting against the brick wall, eventually falling asleep with their heads touching and their hands clasped together. Kurt waited with Percival at his feet, his eyes on the sky, until he could no longer see the lights and the sound inside the castle died down to nothingness. Only then did he stand up, earning a whine from Percival, to carefully open the door to the castle.

Inside, it was quiet and dark. Jesse was barely a glowing lump under his logs. Percival ran over to the hearth and braced his paws on it, whining softly at Jesse and nudging his nose against the kindling. Meanwhile, Kurt shuffled over to where Santana and Rachel were laying, feeling stiff and exhausted, in order to shake them awake and herd them back into the castle.

They laid down on Kurt's cot together and almost immediately went back to sleep. Kurt went over to where Percival was still whining at the grate. "Jesse?" he called softly. "Jesse, are you okay? Are you there?"

There was no answer. Kurt swallowed thickly and reached over to grab the bellows. He pumped it a few times in order to stoke the fire and, groaning, Jesse finally roused himself above the lowest log and opened his eyes. "What?" the fire demanded. "What in the world could you possibly want from me?"

"To make sure you're alive, obviously," Kurt retorted and hid the bellows away once more. "Are you all right? Is… Is Sebastian okay?"

"I'm fine, he's fine, everyone's fine," Jesse snapped. "Go away."

Kurt sat down in the chair in front of the fire and watched Jesse sink down to a dull glow once again. He took just a moment before forcing himself up to fumble in the dark for the matches so that he could light up the oil lamps. Just as he was finishing with the last one, the door turned blue-side down and opened, and Sebastian stumbled inside. He fell onto the entryway steps and stayed there.

"Oh my god, Sebastian!" Kurt all but jumped down the stairs to shut the door and push the wizard into a sitting position. Although he appeared to be fine, his complexion looked paler, there were deep, dark circles under his eyes, and when they finally opened, Kurt could see they were the glassiest shade of green they'd ever been. "Sebastian, are you okay?"

"'m fine." Sebastian pushed himself up and allowed Kurt to support him over to the couch. "Just tired. So tired."

"I know," Kurt whispered and forced himself to kneel down and take Sebastian's hand in his. "But are you going to be okay? Are you okay? Sebastian." He reached out and shook the wizard by his blazer. "Sebastian, are we okay? Are we safe? What about the witch?"

"S-She," Sebastian stuttered, which only served to bring fear to Kurt's heart. Sebastian never stuttered. He licked his lips and tried again. "She got away. Saw her spells weren't working on me, ran away…" He trailed off and laid his head down on the couch pillow. Seconds later, he was snoring.

For a few moments, Kurt just knelt there and breathed, trying hard not to cry. "It's okay," he whispered to himself, his old voice cracking slightly. "It's fine. She's gone. He's here. Just… just make it through the night, Kurt, you can do this." When he glanced around the castle, he could see that even Percival had fallen asleep beside the hearth. He was the only one awake.

He was alone.

Pushing himself up, Kurt quickly turned the oil lamps down low and drew the curtains on the windows. He locked both the front door and the back door, whispering to the locks to not open for anyone until Jesse woke up.

He took off his suit, put on some pajamas, wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, and settled into his chair with his walking stick held at the ready like a weapon. He was the only one who could get Santana and Rachel back here safely; that's what Sebastian had said, and if that was true, then he could guard the castle while everyone slept.

"I'm brave," he whispered to himself. "I can be brave."

* * *

Kurt didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he awoke to the weak, gray light of morning filtering in through the curtains. "Oh no," he said suddenly, jerking upwards, raising his stick, and twisting in his chair to get a look at the castle.

"Calm down, Lancelot," Sebastian's voice said from behind him. "You're all right."

Kurt blinked a few times and saw Jesse burning brightly over his logs, looking somewhat amused. He turned again and looked up at Sebastian across the room; he was sitting at the table, leaning his elbow on it, with a steaming cup of something in front of him. Another quick glance told him that Santana and Rachel were nowhere in sight.

"Don't worry," Sebastian interrupted before Kurt could ask. "Santana took Rachel back to Mercedes' house."

"Alone? You let her go alone?" Kurt's voice was high with worry.

"Percival's with her." Sebastian furrowed his brow and sat up fully, confusion clouding his eyes. "She's not alone. Are you all right? You look completely terrified."

Kurt's tongue swelled in his mouth. He couldn't say all the things he wanted to, that'd he'd been so scared for Sebastian's safety or that he couldn't stop thinking about the Witch lurking around every corner. Instead, he shrugged. "Didn't sleep much, I suppose," he mumbled.

"Well, here," Sebastian said, and slid a second mug that had gone unnoticed until that moment to the edge of the table. "Drink this and get some sleep. I've gotta go out this afternoon." Something on Kurt's face must have alarmed him because he was quick to add, "Just down to Market Chipping. I want to look at some houses there."

"We're moving?" Kurt asked as he got up and settled down at the table to drink. Whatever it was, was strong and immediately filled him with warmth from head to toe.

"Yes," Sebastian said, his mouth tightening into a grim line. He looked older than Kurt had ever seen him. "But for purely protective purposes. The King knows; I want the Witch to think I'm running. She knows where all the entrances except the black door are, so moving them will give me time to plan and protect you and Santana all at the same time."

"But I thought Jesse said she knows where all the doors except the _Kingsbury_ door are."

Sebastian frowned at that and glanced at Jesse, who said nothing. Finally, Sebastian shook his head. "No. No, he's mistaken. It's definitely the black door she doesn't know about."

"Sebastian," Kurt started, but Sebastian held up a hand to silence him.

"It's fine. It'll be fine. I've got a plan, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt said hollowly. Despite his insincerity, Sebastian seemed appeased and almost immediately stood up.

"Good. Make sure you get some sleep," the wizard said as he stooped to put on some shoes, moving about the center of the castle as he prepared to depart. "And honestly, try not to worry. I'm fine, Jesse's fine, the castle is strong, and the Witch is nowhere in sight." He grinned at that, glancing toward Jesse. "We gave her a good run for a money, didn't we, partner?"

"More than a good run," Jesse said proudly. "I daresay we shocked her."

"See?" Sebastian said again. "No need to worry."

"Okay," Kurt said again, more insincere than ever.

Sebastian left the castle without another word.

Jesse tried to engage Kurt in conversation, asking about the ball and what the battle had looked like up close, and did Sebastian really grow feathers or was that just an exaggeration? But Kurt wanted no part in it, and instead broodingly nursed his drink before crawling into bed and falling asleep due to sheer exhaustion. When he awoke again, the sun was golden with the sunset, and Kurt's stomach gave an angry rumble.

He became acutely aware of voices beyond his curtain. Sebastian was back, he realized, as was Santana, and almost on cue, Percival poked his nose through the gap of Kurt's curtains.

"Percival, leave him alone," Santana said.

"No, no," Kurt replied groggily, "I'm awake."

He pushed the curtains back and stood on stiff legs to shuffle toward the table. He sat down and glanced back and forth between Sebastian and Santana, both of whom were standing awkwardly in the center of the room.

"I was just telling her about the move," Sebastian started.

"Yeah," Santana added, "and I was telling him I was talking to Rachel about it, and she said everything would work out." She glanced up at Sebastian. "It's to keep everyone safe, right? Her, and us. And it's just until the Witch is gone."

"Right," Sebastian finished. "I found a good house in the town square of Market Chipping. I'll be signing the papers tomorrow. I'll be seeing some places in Upper Folding, too, and Jesse is moving the castle to the edge of the Waste as we speak."

"The edge of the Waste?" Kurt asked, alarmed. "Are you sure that's wise?"

Sebastian shrugged. "She'd never think to look there."

Kurt said nothing and just turned his gaze to the table. Santana and Sebastian continued to talk over him, oblivious to Kurt's mood.

"I'd like to go into town tomorrow," Kurt said simply, startling them both. "To take Percival to see Blaine, and to say good-bye myself."

"Okay," Sebastian said slowly. Santana frowned at him but chose that moment to take Percival out into the back yard. Jesse, too, sank among the logs while Sebastian took a seat at the table and examined Kurt skeptically. "Look, Kurt, are you sure you're okay?"

"No," Kurt said suddenly. "I'm not okay. Last night was amazing and confusing all at once, and now I feel like the Witch is hovering behind my back every which way I turn. She always spoils everything good! She -" And then, as usual, the words cut off and his throat got tight, and _'put this damnable spell on me!'_ got trapped in his mouth. Furiously, Kurt let out an angry cry, thrust his chair back away from the table, and shoved all the books, plates, and cups off onto the floor.

"Hey!" Sebastian yelled, jumping up. "What's the matter with you?!"

"What's the matter with _me_?" Kurt yelled back. "What's the matter with _you_?"

"I don't know what you want me to say!" Sebastian said, less loudly but still annoyed. "I'm trying to fix everything I've broken over these last few years! I thought that's what you wanted!"

"What I _want_ is for it to be over!" Kurt felt tears stinging his eyes, and he willed them forcefully away. Not today. Sebastian wouldn't see him cry today. "I want things to go back to normal! _I_ want to be normal!"

"You live in a moving castle!" Sebastian exclaimed. "Normal was written out of the equation the second you set foot in here!"

Kurt glowered at Sebastian for just a few moments before his shoulders slumped, realizing that the wizard was absolutely right. He said as much, then sighed and went through the painstaking process of getting down on his knees to gather up the scattered belongings on the floor. "I'm sorry," he added. "I'm just —"

"Don't," Sebastian said, getting down on his knees as well. He helped Kurt pile the books and papers into orderly piles before mending the broken dishes with a wave or two of his hand. "We're a little on edge after —"

"Yes." Kurt pursed his lips together and gathered up the books. "That is certainly an understatement."

"And y'know," Sebastian went on, like Kurt hadn't spoken, "normal is seriously overrated." He glanced up, smirking. "I don't think I'd like you half as much if you were normal."

"Because you like me so much now," Kurt joked, even if he was only half-teasing. "Messing up your hair spells and terrorizing spiders and all."

"Eh." Sebastian shrugged and stood up. "It certainly keeps it interesting, at least."

"Interesting," Kurt mused to himself, watching as Sebastian put the dishes away and headed upstairs. "Yes, things are certainly interesting, aren't they?"

* * *

Early the next morning, long after tensions died down in the castle, Kurt gathered his money and walking stick, and he led Percival out of the castle. As soon as they set foot outside, the dogman was bounding down the street, stopping to sniff front stoops, greet passerbys, and turn his face to the breeze coming off of the ocean. Kurt immediately felt bad; though Blaine had come by a few times a week to walk with Percival, before the ball, he knew the dogma wasn't getting as much exercise as he deserved.

"Hopefully one of the new doors will lead to a nice grassy yard," Kurt said to Percival as they reached the bottom of the hill. Percival looked up at him with his tongue lolling. "That way, you can run and romp whenever you want."

Percival barked and nudged Kurt's hand with his nose.

The made a few grocery purchases to hold them over until they settled into Market Chipping, and although the day was bright and peaceful, Kurt couldn't stop looking around, fearing a glimpse of the Witch. But she didn't show her face, and Percival remained a calm, happy companion as they made it to the newsprinter's house.

Much to Kurt's surprise, Blaine was nowhere to be seen. The newsprinter was the one distributing papers in his place. The sight made Percival's ears flatten, a low whine building in his throat.

"Excuse me, sir," Kurt started, hobbling closer. "Is Blaine Anderson around today?"

"I'm afraid not," the printed huffed as he lifted a stack of papers. "The young lad snatched up an apprenticeship with a very beautiful witch just yesterday afternoon. Said she was a colleague of your son's."

A feeling of dread set over Kurt, settling low in his stomach. Percival began whining in earnest. "Did he leave a note? Or a message?"

"No, he didn't leave anything. I'm sorry."

Kurt's ears began to ring, and Percival began to pace. He didn't hear himself say thank you. He didn't even realize he had broken into an uneven run until he was huffing and puffing, already halfway up the hill. Percival was right beside him the entire time.

When he burst into the castle, he saw that Santana was sitting at the table, preparing a spell, and Sebastian was standing, fastening the buttons of his coat like he was preparing to go out. Upon Kurt's entrance, they both turned to look at him. Percival ran inside and began to pace back and forth anxiously around the room.

"Kurt?" Sebastian started.

"The Witch took Blaine," he gasped out, heart thudding so hard in his chest he could feel it vibrating in his head. "S-She took him!"

"Oh my god," Santana said.

"Breathe, Kurt," Sebastian urged.

Kurt ignored him and looked up at Santana from where he was leaning heavily against the banister. "You need — to go get Rachel. Before — the Witch gets her, too!"

Santana didn't need to be asked twice. She jumped up from the table and ran out of the castle, Percival barking loudly as he followed out after her. Alone with Sebastian after the door slammed closed, Kurt felt his chest get tight again, and he took a deep, shaky breath.

"Kurt."

He looked up, eyes swimming, and saw Sebastian looming over him with a look of utter concern etched on his face. "It's my fault," he said thickly. Tears began to drip down his cheeks. "It's because of me she went after Blaine. It's because I'm an only child. I should have never gone off to seek my fortune." He sank down onto the steps and began to sob in earnest. "I should have stayed in Market Chipping and died old and alone in my father's repair shop! At least Blaine would be safe then."

Sebastian sat down beside Kurt on the stairs, his face a clear expression discomfort. Judging by the way the wizard continued to fidget, unable to meet Kurt's eyes, he didn't deal much with people crying. Stiffly at first, he drew Kurt to his side, though when Kurt leaned into him, he relaxed a little bit. When he spoke, his voice was soft. "It's not your fault, Kurt." Sebastian squeezed him gently. "Here in this world, you people put so much stock in stuff like fortunes and fate, when it's all nonsense. Everything in this world is random. You can't do anything except roll with the punches thrown at you, and you? You've done that better than anyone I've ever met."

Kurt was crying all over again. "Sebastian..."

"What I'm saying is, Blaine's gone, and it sucks, but it just means we have to get him back. And we will." He squeezed Kurt closer and finally looked down into his eyes. "We will. Him, and Sam, and Prince Finley, too."

Kurt reached up to hug Sebastian tight. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Yeah, sure."

They got off the stairs and headed into the castle, discussing moving with Jesse and deciding how they'd do it. Just as they decided on what to make for dinner, Santana and Rachel burst inside, holding tightly to one another, with Percival close behind. Rachel was carrying a suitcase and looked totally flushed, her cardigan haphazardly buttoned. The sight of her left Kurt breathing an enormous sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness," he said and pulled Rachel into a hug that she returned. He could feel her trembling, and when they parted, he could see her eyes were swimming with tears. Any moment they would spill over; he'd seen that look a thousand times.

"She took my brother?" she asked. "She really took Blaine?"

"Yes." Kurt squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry, Rachel."

"It's my fault, honestly," Sebastian said from his place at the table. His words made Kurt swivel his head so fast he swore he felt his neck crack. "She's trying to use him to get to me. She must have known he wanted an apprenticeship with me, and that we had Percival here for him." He met Rachel's gaze steadily. "You realize that I won't be going after him straight away, right? Doing that would —"

"—would be walking straight into her trap. Yes. I'm aware." Rachel squared her shoulders, and Kurt saw the line of her jaw get tense as she held back those tears. Even her voice remained unwavering as she spoke. He was impressed, to say the least. "She's playing dirty, and you need to be smart about how you proceed. I understand, Sebastian. I just thank you for wanting to get him back at all." It was then she looked down at her hands, which were twisting and untwisting against her stomach. "And I know Blaine wouldn't want you rushing in there after him, either."

Nobody said anything at that. Santana put her arm around Rachel and squeezed, while Kurt shifted his gaze to Sebastian, who met his steadily, and for a moment, Kurt felt grateful. He swallowed thickly and almost opened his mouth to say something, but Rachel beat him to it. "I do feel badly, though. Miss Mercedes wasn't home when Santana arrived, so I left without saying good-bye."

"You can write to her once we're all settled. I'm sure she'll understand." Sebastian stood up and adjusted his suit jacket. Kurt wondered why in the world Sebastian would wear so many layers given the warm summer weather until he remembered the cooling charm — the very same one he still had hanging around his neck. "I'm running out to finalize some papers on houses so we can move."

"I'm almost to the Waste," Jesse said from the grate, poking up above a log. He still looked a little smaller than usual.

"Well, if you're not there by tonight, I'll move you myself." With nothing more to say, Sebastian headed out the door with the green-side down. Instantly, Kurt felt sad; he sighed heavily and turned to face Rachel and Santana.

"Well, let's get you all settled in."

"I guess she'll have to stay in my room," Santana hedged, smirking.

Kurt knew it was true. The reason he was still sleeping in his cubby was, admittedly, due in part to his rheumatism, which made the stairs difficult on bad days, but it was also because the castle didn't have any other bedrooms beyond the two Sebastian and Santana occupied. It was preposterous, in Kurt's opinion, especially considering how much bigger the castle looked from the outside. It was for that reason that he had no choice but to remain downstairs and watch as Santana helped Rachel heft her bag up the stairs, unable to give a good enough reason for Rachel and Santana to not share a room.

To Jesse, Kurt said, "This move better mean more bedrooms."

Jesse fluttered in a way that reminded Kurt of a shrug. "Depends on where he moves the fireplace to. Whichever house I'm put in is the one the castle takes the shape of."

Kurt stared blankly before saying, "Which means what, exactly?"

Jesse sighed, like it was totally below him to have to explain. "Do you remember how I told you that the door is like a portal?" Kurt nodded. "Well, the portal has to be based somewhere, and it's based in the Porthaven building. So even though the Kingsbury shop would look dilapidated and abandoned if Sebastian hadn't taken it over, the Porthaven one would go back to looking like an empty version of the castle."

"What does the real inside of the castle look like?" Kurt wondered as he got to work on fixing dinner.

"You honestly don't want to know. It'd give your obsessive compulsive heart an attack."

"You're probably right."

Kurt worked in silence for a few minutes until he found himself staring at the door, his mind wandering. Absently, he said, "What about the black door?"

"What about it?"

"Does it look dilapidated without the enchantment, too?"

"Only Sebastian knows that," Jesse said automatically, and Kurt knew it would be unwise to push for information, especially with how crabby Jesse could be when he was tired.

He finished dinner up and called Santana and Rachel down to eat just as the door opened and Sebastian stepped inside.

"Market Chipping is ours," he announced, waving a set of keys for all to see as everyone settled at the table. He, too, took a seat and shrugged out of his coat. "Tomorrow I'll be taking care of Upper Folding. I've found an old mansion that hasn't been used in years. I'm sure no one would notice if we took up residence for a little while." He twisted in his chair to face Jesse. "I see you haven't made it to the Waste yet."

"You try moving a gigantic castle after battling with the Witch of the Waste," the fire snapped and sank down among his logs.

"It's fine." Sebastian waved his hand dismissively. "You can stop moving it. I'll just do it tomorrow night when we move the doors."

"Sebastian," Kurt started, "what's left if you were to move the black door?"

"You mean what does the normal door lead to?" Sebastian asked, and Kurt nodded. Sebastian considered that, twirling his pasta absently around his plate. "I'll just show you myself. How does that sound?"

"You want to show me? Really?"

"Sure." The wizard shrugged.

"Hey!" Santana yelled, pointing her fork at Sebastian. "Why does_ he_ get to see where the black door goes? I've been around here a lot longer!"

"And Kurt is a lot better at magic." Sebastian's tone left no room for argument, so Santana throttled an intense glare in his direction. Ignoring her, Sebastian turned to Rachel and gave a charming smile. "I'm glad to see you've made yourself at home, Rachel."

"Yes, it's lovely," she said demurely. "Thank you very much for having me."

"It's no trouble." Sebastian suddenly stood and carried his plate to Jesse. He dumped the leftover food into the fire's eagerly awaiting mouth and said, "Stop moving the castle, but please run some hot water for my bath."

"Good to know we're safe enough that you can still take hot baths even though we've got a witch on our trail," Jesse snapped at Sebastian's back as the wizard mounted the stairs. Getting no response, the fire disappeared under the logs once more.

The rest of the evening was quiet, with all members of the house retiring to bed early. The next day, Kurt woke up to find Sebastian leaving the castle.

"Where're you off to?" he muttered groggily.

"To finish up some preparations. I'll be back in a few hours." And then he was gone, the door thudding shut behind him, and Kurt couldn't help feeling like he was being left out of something important.

The day passed uneventfully, though Kurt couldn't shake that tickle of anticipation. After all the excitement of the ball, it almost felt too quiet.

"Are you sure she isn't sneaking up on us?" Kurt asked Jesse more than once throughout the afternoon.

"Oh, there's no doubt she'll try." The fire flickered lazily up a log. "But, I can't sense her now, so there's really no use worrying."

"Are you sure she doesn't know where the black door is?"

"If Sebastian says she doesn't, then she doesn't. I'd know if he were lying."

"How do you know?"

Jesse rolled his eyes and twisted his glimmering body around the log. "You know I can't tell you that. It's part of the contract." He paused, straightening to face Kurt. "Speaking of which, you better break it soon. The Witch could do some really bad things to him if we don't get separated."

Kurt said nothing at first; he just nodded and went back to sorting the laundry. A few moments later, he said, "I could have sworn you said the Kingsbury door —"

"Kurt," Jesse said flatly, "drop it."

It was just as well that their conversation ended there. The door opened, and Sebastian carrying another set of keys and a basket of food. "Afternoon," he greeted as he came up the stairs. Kurt gave him a nod to show he had heard. "I figured that, since you're too scared to leave the castle, I would pick up some groceries on my way back." He set the basket down and jingled the keys. "Got the mansion in Upper Folding, too."

"They just let you have it?" Kurt asked.

"It was rotting from the inside out. When I told them who I was and what I wanted it for, they just told me to take it. They basically begged me to." He set the keys down and draped his jacket over the back of the nearest chair. "Can you help me clear the room? I'm ready to move if you are."

Kurt shrugged and hefted up his laundry basket, carrying it over to his cubby. Once it was safely stored away, he began to help Sebastian push all the furniture and their belongings to the sides and corners of the room. As Kurt swept the floor clean ("I need to draw chalk circles, Kurt!"), Sebastian called Santana, Rachel, and Percival down to join them.

"It'll only take a few minutes," Sebastian said as they sat on top of the table, their legs dangling well above the ground. Percival laid down behind them, his head poking out around Santana's elbow. "You, too, Kurt. I don't want you to fall and break a hip."

Kurt rolled his eyes but climbed onto the table with Rachel's help. The three of them watched as Sebastian drew an elaborate chalk circle on the floor before moving to the corners of the room and writing something Kurt couldn't quite make out. He saw that the sun was setting over the ocean when he glanced out the window, and he wondered if he'd ever get to see Porthaven again.

"All right," Sebastian said and passed the chalk over to Kurt. "Let's do this."

"Be gentle with me," Jesse begged as Sebastian stuck the iron shovel underneath the fire, hefting him out of the ashes. There it was again — that mysterious, fluttering black blob at the base of Jesse's fire. Although Sebastian was the one holding the handle of the shovel this time around, Jesse looked just as panicked as when Kurt had cleaned the grate.

_What could it be? _Kurt wondered, struggling to recall any possible hint Jesse could have given him, but all he could come up with was the insults Jesse used to refer to Sebastian, which didn't really help him much at all.

Sebastian began speaking a language Kurt didn't quite understand, though it was familiar in a way. Percival began whining as the room began to shift, walls expanding or shrinking until they popped like balloons into a new shape. The floor shook, though Sebastian remained steady, almost floating; suddenly, Jesse flared up, resembling the way he looked on the night of the ball, enormous and green and terrifying to behold.

The castle shook violently. Kurt gripped the edge of the table and had to shut his eyes against the blinding white light. It only lasted a moment or so before the castle went still and Sebastian's feet once more touched the ground. The heat of Jesse's fire faded away, and when Kurt opened his eyes, he saw the main room was different.

It still closely resembled the castle before. The hearth was in the same place, as were the windows and the door, along with the stairs leading down to it. Even the sink was in the same corner. The room itself looked as though it'd been stretched to fit a new size. The ceiling was a little higher, and there were a couple of unfamiliar doors — one under the stairs where Kurt's cubby had been, and another at the base of the stairs. In a weird way, Kurt felt like he knew this place somehow.

"Wow!" Rachel exclaimed, hopping off the table. "It's so much brighter! I think these windows are bigger!"

"You'd be correct about that," Sebastian said as he gently deposited Jesse back into the grate. He set the shovel down. "This is the Market Chipping house —"

"Market Chipping!" Rachel clapped her hands together. "My family lives in Market Chipping!"

Sebastian smiled and walked down to the front door. "See these new colors? Purple leads out into Market Chipping." He twisted the knob and opened the door, revealing a front stoop that led down to the cobbled sidewalk below. He shut the door again and turned it to yellow. "Yellow goes out into Upper Folding." Sure enough, when he opened the door, there was a wide meadow with many, many flowers and rolling hills with only a few clusters of houses and shops here or there. He shut the door again. "Green, as usual, goes out to where the castle is, which is on the edge of the Waste." He twisted the knob and opened the door, revealing a little oasis — complete with a beautiful blue pool of water — at the edge of the desert.

Shutting the door, Sebastian came back into the room and opened the door under the stairs. "This is a bathroom. It only has a shower in here, but I figured since our family keeps growing, it'd be best to add a second one." He closed the door again and opened the other new door. "And this room is for Kurt."

Kurt blinked. "For me?"

"Yep," Sebastian said quickly, not meeting his eyes. "There's another new bedroom upstairs for Rachel, so everyone should be content and happy with their own spaces."

"Thank you so much, Sebastian!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Yeah, you really outdid yourself this time," Santana added, leading Rachel toward the stairs.

Kurt, meanwhile, inched toward his room and peered inside. As soon as he saw it, he knew exactly where he was.

The room was wide and open with big windows along one wall overlooking a back yard. The floor was plain hard wood, though the walls were half wood panelling and half mint green wallpaper with white designs to look like leaves. There was a bed and a dresser, and a bookcase filled to the brim with books. Sitting on a nearby chair was a record player, a stack of records on the floor beside it. For a moment, Kurt could hardly breathe.

"Do you like it?" Sebastian said softly behind him.

"This is my mother's house," Kurt said, turning. His eyes brimmed with tears. "You moved us to my mother's house."

"They told me about previous owners when I was touring the place," he said. "They mentioned your family name a bunch of times, so I asked around and found out your dad sold it a while ago." Sebastian frowned. "So… you don't like it? 'Cause I can find another —"

Kurt silenced him by stretching up on his toes and wrapping his arms around Sebastian's neck. "I _love_it," he insisted, turning to kiss Sebastian's cheek. "Thank you."

Sebastian said nothing; he just squeezed Kurt gently around the middle and then let him go.

"I, uh, better get started on dinner," Kurt said. "And mop up your chalk circles."

Sebastian chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so." He glanced at Kurt almost shyly. "I'm really glad you like it."

Kurt just smiled at him in reply.


End file.
